Carbon Fibers Set For Automotive Use

German firms SGL and BMW plan to spend $100 million on a carbon fiber facility in Moses Lake, Wash. The plant is part of a previously announced joint venture between the two firms to provide raw materials for BMW’s planned Megacity Vehicle, an electric-powered car set to be launched by 2015 (C&EN, Nov. 9, 2009, page 24). Based on polyacrylonitrile precursor made in Japan by Mitsubishi Rayon, the U.S.-made carbon fiber will be shipped to Germany for incorporation into the car. Meanwhile, the Japanese chemical maker Teijin has built an electric concept car weighing 437 kg, less than half the weight of electric cars currently on the market. The vehicle, called the Pu_Pa EV, is largely made of Teijin materials: The body is carbon fiber composite, the windows are polycarbonate, and the tire cords come from polyethylene naphthalate fiber. Teijin expects the vehicle, on exhibit at the Teijin Mirai Studio in Tokyo, to be on the market within 10 years.