BMW is doubling down on its commitment to carbon fiber with major capacity increases at the plant that makes the material for its new i brand of lightweight electrified vehicles. The plant (located in Moses Lake, WA, and owned by a joint venture between BMW and SGL Group called SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers) currently operates two production lines, exclusively for BMW i, with annual output of about 3000 ton (2721 t). When completed in 2015, the plant will be the world’s largest producer of carbon fiber, according to BMW. Energy for the plant’s operations comes via hydropower from a nearby dam/power station. Currently used only for its i models and for some body panels on its M models, BMW says it will expand application of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic derived from the carbon fibers beyond those model types.
