By means of cynical eyes, BMW’s i division is a hyper-pricey experiment that hedges against strict emission laws, all so Munich can hold building automobiles that really make a profit. Whilst this is correct, there are several tangible positive aspects to BMW’s sophisticated carbon fiber manufacturing—such as driving down the material’s price and getting ahead of competitors—and now it has even drawn the praise of one Elon Musk. Yep, neglect the diesel and hybrid Bimmers that sell for typical-ish money—Tesla CEO Musk is turned on by the i lineup’s exotic construction.
According to a Der Spiegel interview translated by Reuters, Musk has been chatting with BMW executives about a feasible collaboration that would include the sharing of lightweight parts and batteries. Musk says he desires to open a battery plant in Germany inside the subsequent 5 to 6 years—his “Gigafactory” in Reno, Nevada will be on the web in 2017—and that the carbon fiber parts on the i3 and i8 had been “relatively expense-efficient.” Tesla itself has not confirmed any deal with BMW, only that a “casual conversation” among a self-made billionaire and some German engineers did in reality occur.
As issues sit, both organizations are all-in on electrification and currently have alliances at play. BMW is working with Audi and other researchers to develop carbon fiber that is 90-% more affordable as it triples material production to 9000 tons a year. It is also tagging along with Mercedes to standardize wireless charging and recently signed a deal with Toyota to create a lot more effective lithium-air batteries (in addition to jointly-constructing a new sports auto and advancing Musk’s preferred brand of haterade, hydrogen fuel).
Smile! You’re on corporate collaboration candid camera!
Tesla, aside from spending billions to construct the world’s biggest battery plant for an expanded lineup of higher-volume automobiles, does not have any prepared automotive partners who’d like to split R&D charges. And whilst Tesla investors don’t really seem to care about such things correct now, sooner or later they’d like to see the business make a profit each and every quarter or 2. A companion like BMW—which has sold only about 13,000 i models because late 2013 versus the 50,000 Model S sedans Tesla’s peddled since 2012—would be key to producing genuine income.
Tesla still builds powertrains for the electric Smart For2, Mercedes B-class Electric Drive, and Toyota RAV4 EV, however these are limited-time contracts for really small numbers of cars. (Toyota is killing the RAV4 EV in about a month, whilst Daimler sold its 4-% Tesla stake around the same time.) BMW is one particular of the handful of major automakers to invest so heavily in electric vehicles, even if several of the Bimmer EVs are actually plug-in hybrids, some thing Musk also derides. (In the same Der Spiegel interview, he related them to “an amphibious car, not perfect in the water and not best on land.“) But don’t count on that to be a deal-killer after all, Wise, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota predominantly build fossil fuel–powered cars, and, generally, Musk doesn’t say things without putting his considerable income where his mouth is. So, humble observers , you would be smart to watch how this small “conversation” concludes.
Collaboration, LLC: Tesla Might Tap BMW For Carbon Fiber, Exchange Battery Tech
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