Official BMW i3 thread

[evnow]

Here is something about the costs of Steel & Carbon Fiber for autobodies.

Automotive manufacturing costs can be cut by 80% with carbon fiber-based autos vs. steel-based ones due to greatly reduced tooling and simpler assembly and joining. However, such cost savings are currently overshadowed with carbon fiber material prices upwards of $16/lb.

http://www.rmi.org/RFGraph-carbonfiber_vs_steel_manufacturing" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[surfingslovak]

Here is something about the costs of Steel & Carbon Fiber for autobodies.

Automotive manufacturing costs can be cut by 80% with carbon fiber-based autos vs. steel-based ones due to greatly reduced tooling and simpler assembly and joining. However, such cost savings are currently overshadowed with carbon fiber material prices upwards of $16/lb.

The carbon content should be fairly limited. It's just the frame, which is under 100 lbs. The body panels are made out of plastic, which might have some carbon content as well, but should be significantly cheaper to manufacture. There was another video somewhere, where a BMW representative mentioned that they were able to eliminate water out of the painting process. This reportedly reduced the cost and size of the paint shop, and is more sustainable too. The savings and improvements reportedly span the entire assembly and manufacturing chain. I would really like to see the carbon content per vehicle quote officially. Even if you conservatively assumed 200 lbs, the price penalty over steel would not be prohibitively high.

 

[jhm614]

I had the opportunity to crawl all over a fully functional i3 today for about 90 minutes, and took 66 pictures. I'll post those soon.

Nice! Did you get any seat time?

 

[Boomer23]

Here is something about the costs of Steel & Carbon Fiber for autobodies.

Automotive manufacturing costs can be cut by 80% with carbon fiber-based autos vs. steel-based ones due to greatly reduced tooling and simpler assembly and joining. However, such cost savings are currently overshadowed with carbon fiber material prices upwards of $16/lb.

The carbon content should be fairly limited. It's just the frame, which is under 100 lbs. The body panels are made out of plastic, which might have some carbon content as well, but should be significantly cheaper to manufacture. There was another video somewhere, where a BMW representative mentioned that they were able to eliminate water out of the painting process. This reportedly reduced the cost and size of the paint shop, and is more sustainable too. The savings and improvements reportedly span the entire assembly and manufacturing chain. I would really like to see the carbon content per vehicle quote officially. Even if you conservatively assumed 200 lbs, the price penalty over steel would not be prohibitively high.

If I'm not mistaken, BMW may be controlling the CFRP costs by bringing the entire manufacturing process of the material in house. This also allows them to control the carbon footprint better, which is advantageous for a car with a desired green cred.

 

[TonyWilliams]

 

[TonyWilliams]

 

[TonyWilliams]

 

[TonyWilliams]

 

[TonyWilliams]

 

[TonyWilliams]

 

[TonyWilliams]

 

[TonyWilliams]

 

[TonyWilliams]

 

[TonyWilliams]

 

[surfingslovak]

Awesome! Thanks so much for sleuthing and sharing all this material. OK to cross-post to other forums? I would be particularly interested to have some German speakers sink their teeth into the paperwork you found in the car

If I'm not mistaken, BMW may be controlling the CFRP costs by bringing the entire manufacturing process of the material in house. This also allows them to control the carbon footprint better, which is advantageous for a car with a desired green cred.

Yes, I'm under that impression also. Between judicious use of the material, and an efficient cost-effective manufacturing process, they could really have an advantage over their closest competitors. I think this is precisely what the senior leadership spurned on by the Quandt family might have been after. And despite of what most would think, thanks to the rather clueless press, they likely don't see Tesla as their competitor. It's Audi, first and foremost.

 

[Boomer23]

Here are pictures of the BMW i3 that was on display at Alt Car Expo in Santa Monica on Friday, Sept 20. A few of us were lucky enough to get there right at the opening of the exhibit when the car was unlocked and we were able to crawl all over it. They locked it up about an hour later, since there are so few of the cars in the US at this time and they didn't want to risk any damage (like broken door handles, cough, cough).

This car had the interior that will be called "Giga" here in the US. It has a combination of fabric and leather seats, eucalyptus wood trim and the light colored steering wheel. This car did NOT have the REx range extender engine, but it did have the CCS "Frankenplug" DC quick charge port, parking sensors and the optional sunroof. The one that Tony saw today had the all leather interior that will be called "Tera" in the US. The wheels on both this car and the "Tera" car that Tony saw are the upgraded 20 inch wheels. I think that all of the tires are going to be Bridgestone Ecopias (yes, Ecopias). The tire size on the 20 inch wheels are 155/60R 20. Standard wheels are 19 inchers, in one of three different styles.

 

[Boomer23]

More pics from the "Giga" car in Santa Monica. Our seat model, Matt, is about 6 feet 1 inch tall.

 

[Boomer23]

More pics from the Santa Monica Expo on Sept 20

 

[Boomer23]

More pics from the Santa Monica Expo on Sept 20

 

[Boomer23]

More pics from Santa Monica on Sept 20