Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Manufacturing/Plants, BMW, Lightweight, USA
Central Washington could soon become a future automotive hub, if BMW's vision of carbon fiber plug-in vehicles catches on. Standing next to BMW's upcoming i3, chairman of the German automaker, Norbert Reithofer, told a crowd of 150 in Moses Lake, WA that carbon fiber is key to the evolution of plug-ins. Reithofer stated:
As Reithofer spoke, the 600-foot carbon fiber machine operated in the next room, winding multiple strands of the high-tech fiber onto spools to be shipped to Germany. There, the fiber will be transformed into passenger cells.Passenger cells are made from carbon fiber to compensate for the greater weight of batteries. Using carbon fiber on this scale has never been attempted before.
Robert Koehler, chief executive officer of SGL Group - BMW's carbon fiber teammate - stated that an additional machine is on order and says it should be operational in less than 18 months. Together, the two machines will pump out 3,000 tons of carbon fiber a year. But if BMW's i lineup of vehicles is successful, SGL could add up to ten additional machines. This is just one small part of a bigger change in the industry, as Koehler said that BMW's use of carbon fiber in vehicles slated for mass-production is a significant milestone in the automotive industry.
Continue reading BMW, SGL open state-of-the-art carbon fiber facility in Washington
BMW, SGL open state-of-the-art carbon fiber facility in Washington originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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