Both the BMW Group and Boeing are pioneering the use of carbon fiber in their products. With the release of the BMW i3 in late 2013, followed later by the BMW i8, the BMW Group will bring two vehicles with a carbon passenger cell onto the market for the first time and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is made up of 50% carbon fiber material. Recycling composite material at point of use and at the end of the product life therefore is essential to both companies.

This collaboration agreement is a very important step forward in developing the use and end use of carbon fiber materials. It is especially important that we plan for the end of life of products made from carbon fiber. We want to look at ways to reclaim and reuse those materials to make new products. Our work with the BMW Group will help us attain that goal.

—Larry Schneider, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of Product Development

Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire was instrumental in securing the location for the BMW plant in Moses Lake and promoted the partnership between Boeing and the BMW Group.

As part of its SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers LLC joint venture, the BMW Group has built a new, state-of-the-art carbon fiber plant in Moses Lake, Washington (USA), together with the SGL Group. The plant is an important component in both companies’ strategy to automate production of ultra-light carbon fiber reinforced plastics for use in future vehicle concepts. The carbon fibers produced in Moses Lake will be used exclusively for the BMW Group’s BMW i3 and BMW i8.

The facility in Wackersdorf makes the carbon fibers into fabrics, which are processed at the Landshut plant to make lightweight CFRP body components for the BMW i3, which will be assembled at the BMW Plant Leipzig.