Ford Plans Carbon Fiber Future to Help Shed Up to 750 Pounds Per Car

[ausrutherford]

Colum Wood
Apr 12
AutoGuide

Already several years into a switch to more efficient EcoBoost engines, the next big move for the Ford Motor Company in the fight to reach increasingly strict fuel economy targets is to significantly reduce the weight of its vehicles.

To help meet those goals the American automaker has today announced a partnership with Dow Automotive Systems to develop low cost, light weight carbon fiber vehicle components.

The goal, says Ford, is to help shed as much as 750 pounds per vehicle by the end of the decade. While carbon fiber is used by a few smaller automakers or in limited production vehicles, Ford’s plan is to integrate the light-weight yet ultra-strong material into its mainstream volume products.

“There are two ways to reduce energy use in vehicles: improving the conversion efficiency of fuels to motion and reducing the amount of work that powertrains need to do,” said Paul Mascarenas, Ford chief technical officer and VP of Research and Innovation. “Ford is tackling the conversion problem primarily through downsizing engines with EcoBoost and electrification while mass reduction and improved aerodynamics are keys to reducing the workload.”

Full text at link

[ausrutherford]

Carbon fiber and the next Mustang would be match made in auto-heaven and it needs to be done.

[Andrew L]

Woah that is weird... wasn't there an article last year that said Ford had no interest in carbon fiber? Things change I guess.

[cobra#1]

Ford has seen the light!
Carbon fiber mustang would dominate the competition. The way the future looks seems to be an era of cheap super cars.

[georgewerr]

To help meet those goals the American automaker has today announced a partnership with Dow Automotive Systems to develop low cost, light weight carbon fiber vehicle components.

I hope they do not go the route the the cycling industry has gone. They have made some very light bikes but the cost has sky rocketed about 3X.

[2b2]

Woah that is weird... wasn't there an article last year that said Ford had no interest in carbon fiber? Things change I guess.

guess it's like I've been saying (harping) lately, Andrew:
whenever Fomoco says ANYthing, it's only good for the DAY/hour? they say it

&
umm
this would be perfect for my $80-99k 700hp SuperLincoln(s)
(could go on top-line LincEnergi's too)

guess the tech could trickle down to the Mustangs as the price comes down


edit
forgot to include the LINK to the Reuter's version
&
I saw something on TV about CF in race cars
and they said the way it absorbed the energy from crashes is to break apart and shed pieces
rather than deform like metal.
Wonder if this is the only way CF works or if they can engineer-in different behaviors for consumer vehicles?

[62Lincoln]

To help meet those goals the American automaker has today announced a partnership with Dow Automotive Systems to develop low cost, light weight carbon fiber vehicle components.

I hope they do not go the route the the cycling industry has gone. They have made some very light bikes but the cost has sky rocketed about 3X.

You hit the nail on the head, the key will indeed be low cost. So far, no one has been able to unlock the key to lowering cost. BMW is heavy into CF for their electric cars, but of course BMW will charge BMW prices, which Ford should not expect to do.