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BMW Says It Will Triple Production Of Carbon Fiber For Electric Cars

Green Car Reports

Carbon fiber is still a fairly exotic material in the automotive industry, but it is likely to become more common--and perhaps faster than expected. BMW said last Friday that it will triple production of carbon fiber at its facility in Moses Lake, Washington, to use in its carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) body shells.

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BMW Group / SGL Group JV opens new Moses Lake carbon fiber plant

Green Car Congress

SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers (SGL ACF)—a joint venture of SGL Group and the BMW Group ( earlier post )—officially opened its new carbon fiber manufacturing plant in Moses Lake, WA. All electricity needed for the production of carbon fibers will come from local hydropower.

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Research Backed By BMW Halfway To Carbon-Fiber Cost 90% Lower

Green Car Reports

One case in point is carbon fiber, which is light and strong, but also expensive. Now, a research firm partially funded by BMW--which uses large amounts of carbon fiber in its i3 electric car and i8 plug-in hybrid--claims to be on the verge of slashing this material''s.'

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Enter BMW — with Carbon Fiber

Revenge of the Electric Car

2009 BMW Concept ActiveE. BMW MegaCity Urban Electric Car To Be Built of Carbon Fiber. First, the raw feedstock to make carbon fibers–just call it a “polacrylonitrile-based precursor&# –is made in Japan by a joint venture between SGL and Mitsubishi Rayon and flown to the U.S.

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Carbon Fiber In Cars: More Energy To Make, Lower Lifetime Emissions

Green Car Reports

While its light weight helps raise fuel economy in vehicles, carbon fiber has its critics. Recently, BMW defended the carbon footprint of carbon fiber in a recent WardsAuto article. MORE: 2014 BMW i3: First Drive Of BMW''s Radical New Electric Car The German.'

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BMW debuts iX3 SUV electric car

Green Car Reports

The iX3 SUV, revealed in Beijing today, brings BMW into the mainstream when it comes to electric cars. No longer will BMW electrics be specialized models that look like science experiments, made of space-age carbon fiber or riding on skinny tires for the ultimate efficiency.

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BMW boss argues hydrogen will be next big thing after electric cars

Teslarati

Oliver Zipse, the chairman of BMW AG, seems to acknowledge that electric vehicles are inevitable. And in a recent set of comments, Zipse revealed that he believes hydrogen cars will be the “hippest thing to drive” after the electric vehicle age. However, he is also looking beyond the age of EVs.

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