As you are aware, BMW invested not just a lot of time in the small electric car, the i3, but also huge amounts.

This money went into developing new technologies, as this is the first EV to come from the Bavarians, and the most important piece of tech seems to be the CFRP.

The CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) was used extensively on the i3, and even its bigger brother, the i8, and its success was quite resounding. The materials performed so well, that the car maker decided to use it in all of its cars. And while any Bimmer car benefit from the new material, BMW didn’t stop there.

Recent reports state that the CFRP will also be an important part in the 2017 Rolls-Royce Phantom. On pretty much any other cars, i’d say that would be a great move, but considering the fact that the Phantom feels right weighing two tons, I remain unconvinced. And if that sounds a tad iffy, Rolls-Royce also stated they will be upgrading the looks to a less formal variant.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post The Rolls-Royce Phantom will be using BMW i3 technology appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

The BMW i3 electric city car was not just an EV from BMW, but an innovation for the whole automotive industry.

Or, at least, that is what the German car maker kept saying ever since they announced it last year and, for the most part, they were spot on.

One of the many innovations, and a pretty important one at that, is the CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic), which they developed, becoming a cheap way to widely use carbon fiber in a car. As such, the whole of the BMW i3 passenger cabin is built from the material.

In fact, the CFRP was such a success, it became an important material for pretty much every other BMW model that followed. Some might suggest the CFRP was a gamble for BMW, as the initial research and development took a big chunk of BMW’s capital, but I believe it turned out well for the manufacturer.

Now, with the BMW i3 already on the market, and already a big success, BMW decided to share with us a bit of the inside procedure that turns a single strand of carbon fiber into the full hull of the i3. Enjoy the video below.

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Marcus M.

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The post How carbon fiber is used on a BMW i3 appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

It seems that car maker BMW has really struck gold with their new carbon fiber technologies, with plenty future projects lined up.

One such project involves a full carbon fiber wheel rim, and we should expect it to arrive somewhere in the next 2 years.

In truth, this is not really a world first, but that isn’t the main selling point of the product. With their carbon fiber plant expanding, BMW is ready to apply their cheaper technology to a wider array of parts, wheels included. And their plans don’t stop there.

Recently they have also developed a full carbon fiber steering wheel as well as a one-piece propeller shaft, and along side the full carbon fiber wheels they will also build an alloy / carbon hybrid. These new wheels are not only lighter, but as BMW officials state, they are also tougher, scrapes being easier to polish out. i can’t wait until aftermarket specialists get a hold of this technology.

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Marcus M.

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For a while now, BMW has been circulating news about a third name for their brand new i sub-branch, namely the i5.

But while they have already confirmed plans for this model, they have yet to green light its production.

The reason behind this is the fact that the German car maker is not yet sure of the complete success of their first two green cars, with a greater emphasis on the small i3. They have invested heavily into developing the technologies that went into making the model, so the safe thing to do is wait until they know for sure that the i3 will sell.

So far, most signs point toward a great evolution of the small electric city car, even if not quite as “industry shifting ” as it was promised to be. There are those that say that BMW has a lot more riding on the success of the i3. With the huge investment in the development of the CFRP, the manufacturer has tied a lot of money into the i3, and should it not sell, BMW will go bankrupt. Maybe that’s going a bit far. Still, we will see if the i5 will come to fruition or not in the next period.

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Marcus M.

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The post The BMW i5 highly dependent on i3 success appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

After the BMW i3 was released, the German car maker made a big deal out of advertising all the technological advances made in developing the electric vehicle.

And for good reason, as they invested heavily in research and development of the i3 and its bigger brother, the i8.

Of course, all the new tech was expected to migrate to other models as well, a trend that has been around as long as the automotive industry. But even with that sure hope, it is nice to get official confirmation from the manufacturer. In a recent press release, BMW’s head of sales and marketing, Ian Robertson, mentioned the certainty of this natural evolution.

“The use of carbon fiber we already know about. Perhaps we won’t see carbon fiber body shells in the mainstream, but we will see its limited use where it can be of most benefit. Then there’s the interior finishing, where some of the cutting-edge materials, such as hemp and the roof plastic made from recycled bottles, have made a real impact. They could both be mainstream.”

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW to use i3 and i8 technology in other modules appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.