Source: Urethanes Technology International, September 27, 2011.
SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers (SGL ACF) — a joint venture of SGL Group and BMW Group — has opened its carbon-fiber manufacturing plant in Moses Lake.
The new facility is strategic for the manufacture of ultra-light-weight carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) for use in the new BMW i-vehicles.
The parent companies will invest about $100 million in the Moses Lake plant and create 80 new local jobs until 2013.
The company said that “to prepare the large-scale production start of BMW i vehicles in 2013 it is important to start carbon fiber manufacturing now. All electricity needed for the production of carbon fibers will come from readily available clean and renewable local hydropower.”
SGL ACF said thanks to the emission-free drivetrain and a value-added chain designed to be sustainable all along the line, lifecycle emission figures for the BMW i3 are at least a third lower than for a highly efficient combustion-engine car. If the BMW i3 is run on electricity from renewable sources, the figures improve by well over 50 percent.