Source: plugincars.com
As part of a small contingent of Americans who made it to Germany last week for the official unveiling of the BMW i3 and i8--the first cars set to be released under the new BMW i subbrand--I was given a tired and jetlagged glimpse into the incredibly complex world that is BMW i. In short, the subbrand represents a paradigm shift of everything from how cars are built, to what materials they use, to what kinds of impacts their construction has on the environment, to what kinds of tools they offer drivers.
While that may sound grandiose, I can tell you with reasonably good clarity that it's true. If BMW pulls it all off, the launch of both the i3 and the i8 and all of the BMW i subbrand will represent something brand new in the automotive world.
Who knows how expensive these cars will be, but for many people--namely the young, affluent, urbanites, as BMW likes to point out--the cars will be worth it at any price.
The i3 and i8 Will Have Parts Made From Hemp (and Other Renewable Resources)
Although the bulk of the i3 and i8 will be constructed of aluminum and carbon fiber composites, BMW has made a gigantic push to ensure that much of the vehicle's other components are made from renewable material using renewable energy wherever possible.
Eighty percent of the i3's aluminum is either recycled or produced with renewable energy and 25% of the weight of plastics used is replaced by recycled or renewable raw materials. Some of these raw materials include hemp (yep the kind that's related to marijuana) sourced from Bangladesh.
In addition to the materials, BMW chose to site its carbon fiber plant in Moses Lake, Wash., in large part because the energy there is almost 100% hydroelectric and making carbon fiber uses a lot of electricity. That area of the US also happens to have some of the cheapest electricity on the planet at less than 4 cents per kWh.
The i3 and i8 Are Better for the People Who Build Them
In addition to, and as a result of, the novel construction techniques, the workers who will be assembling BMW's i cars will be exposed much quieter work environments. There is no stamping of sheet metal and very little welding of metal at all. In fact, except for the aluminum drive module, the rest of the car has almost no metal in it.
Pushing this low impact work environment to the limit, BMW says the factories that will make the components for the i cars will have "optimized" workplace conditions with 50% less noise than a tradition assembly line and be infused with natural lighting.
With Carbon Fiber, BMW is The First Automaker to Become a Major Textile Manufacturer
Carbon fiber must be woven into textiles before being encased in plastic to make the composite material. BMW has constructed a gigantic textile factory in Wackersdorf, Germany, that exist for the sole purpose of making all the different types of carbon fiber textiles that BMW needs to build the panels for the i3 and i8.
BMW's Dressler, said that there are two different types of fabrics in four different thicknesses that the factory has to make depending on strength and weight requirements. The two fabrics have crisscrossing patterns or unidirectional orientation depending on what type of direction strength each structural piece needs.
In order to meet the legal requirements of Germany, BMW has now become a major member of the Bavarian Textile Manufacturing Association as well. What other car manufacturer can claim that?
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