BMW rolls out i3 made with Moses Lake carbon fiber

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Moses Lake was once again put in the spotlight as BMW rolled out its new i3 electric car, made with carbon fiber manufactured in Grant County, in Washington D.C. Thursday.

The official arrival of the i3 means Moses Lake, and Washington state, will likely continue to stay in the spotlight as more and more of the vehicles start showing up on roads across the world.

BMW simultaneously unveiled the i3 this past summer in New York City, London and Beijing. The car is expected to go on sale in the United States early next year, with a starting price of about $41,000.

The i3 is assembled in Leipzig, Germany using carbon fiber produced at the SGL Carbon Fiber plant in Moses Lake.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., highlighted the state's role in manufacturing the car during the Washington D.C. rollout. The i3 is the first carbon fiber car frame in a mass market vehicle, she said.

And the fact that the carbon fiber used in the car is made in Washington is a big deal.

"We are proud to say that every one of these cars that we are going to see is going to have a piece of Washington in it," she said during her speech.

Cantwell also mentioned using carbon fiber in place of conventional steel in automobiles can lower the weight of a vehicle by up to 50 percent, improving its battery range and fuel economy. The demand for this material in cars is estimated to grow by an annual rate of 8.4 percent through 2020.

SGL recently announced construction on a second building at the Moses Lake plant has begun.

The second building is a strategic expansion, to make sure the plant will be able to meet any rising demand from BMW for more carbon fiber, SGL spokesperson Katharina Schraidt previously said.