Gasgoo Munich- The 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) opened in Shanghai on Nov. 5. With the 15th Five-Year Plan getting underway and China's dual-carbon goals gathering pace, green technologies and advanced manufacturing took center stage. HRC (Hengrui Carbon Fiber) is marking its seventh straight year at the event. The company showcased fresh commercial breakthroughs in carbon fiber recycling and the low-altitude economy.
Carbon fiber's notorious difficulty to recycle has long plagued the global materials industry. At this year's expo, HRC debuted its "Mobility Back to Mobility" closed-loop recycling concept. Engineers at the booth explained that the company's in-house production line can break down and reprocess scrap carbon fiber from retired aircraft or vehicles. The recycled material retains over 95% of its original mechanical properties, yet generates just 4.7% of the CO₂ emissions of virgin material. It is already finding its way back into aviation interiors, bicycles, and automotive components.
The low-altitude economy ranks among the year's most active sectors, where lightweighting is key to getting aircraft off the ground. In the auto and smart mobility zone, HRC teamed up with GAC's Govy to display the GOVY AirCab, a two-seat eVTOL flying car. Carbon fiber composites make up more than 90% of the aircraft, with HRC manufacturing 57 of its core components. That deep integration reflects a broader shift: low-altitude aircraft supply chains are shifting toward lighter, stiffer structures.
CIIE exhibits trace the cross-industry reach of advanced materials. These range from mass-produced all-carbon-fiber automotive spoilers to high-precision commercial satellite trusses and the lightweight skeletons of humanoid robots. Carbon fiber is steadily breaking through cost and recycling bottlenecks. It is emerging as a "new quality productive force" that is quietly reshaping the hardware foundations of future mobility.
