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In an interview published on Sunday, Musk described BMW's
production of carbon fibre reinforced car body parts as
"interesting" and "relatively cost efficient."
BMW uses carbon fibres from its joint venture with materials
supplier SGL to make reinforced passenger cell parts for its i3
electric hatchback and i8 plug-in hybrid sports car.
Officials at BMW were not immediately available to comment.
"We are talking about whether we can collaborate in battery
technology or charging stations," Musk was quoted as saying in
the interview.
A spokeswoman for Tesla in Germany later described the
discussions as informal.
"The conversation between Elon Musk and BMW has been a casual
conversation, and not about a formal cooperation," spokeswoman
Kathrin Schira said.
There were no further details on the specific nature of the
alliance, however BMW and Tesla executives already met in June
to discuss the creation of charging stations usable for
different types of electric cars.
Rival Daimler, owner of the Mercedes brand, said last month it
would continue to collaborate with Tesla even after selling its
remaining four percent stake in the U.S. company. Tesla has also
worked with Toyota <7203.T> on electric SUVs.
Tesla's billionaire co-founder Musk also told Der Spiegel that
he expects Tesla to have a battery production plant in Germany
in five to six years.
(Reporting by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Clelia Oziel and Clara
Ferreira Marques)
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