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BMW and SGL to triple production capacity at Moses Lake carbon fiber plant with $200M expansion; world’s largest carbon fiber plant

Green Car Congress

A production line for carbon fiber takes the PAN precursor through two stages (stabilization/oxidation and carbonization) and then to winding. The site expansion, scheduled to be completed by early 2015, will make the plant in Moses Lake the world’s largest carbon fiber plant. 3,000 tons of carbon fiber.

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Wind Explorer EV crosses Australia for less than $15 of electricity; kite-assisted

Green Car Congress

Evonik Corporation is featuring the Wind Explorer—a lightweight, electric vehicle that crossed Australia on less than $15 of electricity—at its administrative center in Parsippany, N.J. The Wind Explorer took advantage of crosswinds by using large, steerable kites to cover hundreds of miles. Click to enlarge.

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Lightweight electromobile with ROHACELL body crosses Australia almost exclusively on wind energy

Green Car Congress

The Wind Explorer pilot vehicle is a two-seated electromobile that weighs just 200 kg (441 lbs) and with a range of 400 kilometers (249 miles) per battery charge. The bodywork consists mainly of a carbon fiber composite with ROHACELL structural foam from Evonik Industries. Click to enlarge.

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200,000 BMW i3 EVs produced in Leipzig over nearly 7 years

Green Car Congress

The BMW i3 was the BMW Group’s first purely electrically powered large-scale serial model and also the company’s first vehicle with a passenger cell made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). It is shaped in Leipzig from carbon fiber scrims and assembled in a unique process developed by the BMW Group.

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SGL Group to sell its cathodes, furnace linings, and carbon electrodes (CFL/CE) business to Triton for €230M cash

Green Car Congress

The extensive product portfolio ranges from carbon and graphite products, carbon fibers all the way through to composites. The SGL Group’s products are deployed in the automotive and chemicals industries as well as in the semiconductor, solar, LED industry segments and in the field of lithium-ion batteries.

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Nissan introduces all-new LEAF NISMO RC electric race car; more than double power and torque of predecessor

Green Car Congress

Drivetrain technology sourced from the new Nissan LEAF include the high-capacity lithium-ion battery and inverters. The LEAF NISMO RC features a multitude of lightweight components and a full carbon-fiber racing monocoque structure, allowing it to tip the scales at just 1,220 kilograms.

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Lifecycle results for Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL vary widely depending on the power and hydrogen source

Green Car Congress

Advances in lithium-ion battery technology will further contribute to this reduction: Energy density will be further increased, while batteries will become increasingly lighter in weight. All Mercedes-Benz plants in Germany will therefore switch to CO 2 -neutral energy supply, e.g. wind power and hydropower, by 2022.

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