BMW chose to build a $100 million manufacturing plant in Washington state partially based on the availability of hydropower, reports BrighterEnergy.
The manufacturing plant, which will make carbon fiber panels for BMW's Megacity vehicle, will be located in Moses Lake, Wash.
Because the carbon fiber panels require large amounts of electricity to manufacture, BMW sought abundant electricity, including hydropower, reports the Seattle Times.
The Port of Moses Lake received $2 million in financing to build a substation to provide power to the factory.
In other automotive news, AB Volvo has issued its 2009 Sustainability Report.
As a percentage of net sales, the truck maker saw both energy consumption and water consumption rise in 2009, after a decrease in both the previous year (see image).
Volvo consumed 9.1 megawatt hours per million Swedish Krona in 2009, up from 8.6 in 2008, but still down from 9.6 in 2007. The Krona is Sweden's currency.
Volvo consumed 31.8 cubic meters of water per million Swedish Krona in 2009, up from 27.8 in 2008 and 27.9 in 2007.
The rise in emissions and water intensity can be traced to a decrease in production.
In 2009, the firm produced 137,538 trucks, buses and chassis, down from 261,088 in 2008 and 246,088 in 2007.
