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BMW Venture to Triple Carbon Fiber Capacity
BMW AG and partner SGL Carbon SE will spend $200 million to triple annual capacity of their carbon fiber factory in Moses Lake, Wash., to 9,000 tons by 2015.
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BMW AG and partner SGL Carbon SE will spend $200 million to triple annual capacity of their carbon fiber factory in Moses Lake, Wash., to 9,000 tons by 2015.
The four-year-old plant supplies fibers used by BMW to produce plastic bodies for its i3 electric city car and upcoming i8 electric sport coupe. BMW says the additional capacity will reduce the cost of the fibers and enable the company to introduce lightweight carbon-fiber-reinforced components in more of its vehicle lineup.
The expansion will make the facility the world's largest source of carbon fibers and account for about one-fifth of global output of the material, according to the partners. The highly automated factory operates 24 hours per day.
The plant's energy-intensive production process is powered entirely by hydroelectricity.
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