Ford investing into carbon fiber materials (HELL YEAH) Shedding up to 750lbs

[tristateZ28Lt1]

Now this is what I'm talking about: Ford is investing into carbon fiber.
The Mustang is already the lightest car in the muscle car class and it looks like they will be much lighter in the future.
I think they have to bring the weight down considerably (especially Flex, Edge and Taurus) but this will help tremendously. Good job Ford. Think about a GT500 dropping a couple hundred pounds... :bowdown:

Official Press Release:

Ford and Dow Team Up to Bring Low-Cost, High-Volume Carbon Fiber Composites to Next-Generation Vehicles
Weight reductions of up to 750 pounds on future Ford vehicles are key to meeting fuel economy and electric vehicle range targets
Ford and Dow engineers and researchers will combine efforts to develop low-cost carbon fiber and component-level manufacturing processes

DEARBORN, Mich., April 12, 2012 – Cutting the weight of new cars and trucks by up to 750 pounds by the end of the decade is a key component of Ford's strategy to improve fuel efficiency. In order to help achieve that goal, Ford Motor Company is partnering with Dow Automotive Systems, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, to research the use of advanced carbon fiber composites in high-volume vehicles.

"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 vice president, 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."

Ford is investigating a range of new materials, enhanced design processes and new manufacturing techniques that would enable automotive structures to meet increasingly stringent safety and quality standards while cutting weight.

"Vehicle weight reduction for our customers through intelligent design with a materials focus has been a priority for Dow Automotive Systems," said Florian Schattenmann, director of Research and Development for Dow Automotive Systems. "This partnership with Ford on carbon fiber composites is a logical next step to progress already achieved through the use of lightweight, high-strength polymers and structural bonding technology."

Carbon fiber composites have been used in aerospace and racing cars for decades due to their unique combination of high strength and low mass. Until recently these materials have been far too costly for use in high-volume mainstream applications.

Dow Automotive Systems and Ford have signed a joint development agreement that will see researchers from the two companies collaborate on several fronts. The development teams will focus on establishing an economical source of automotive-grade carbon fiber and develop component manufacturing methods for high-volume automotive applications.

The partnership will seek to combine the best of Ford's capabilities and experience in design, engineering and high-volume vehicle production with Dow Automotive's strengths in R&D, materials science and high-volume polymer processing.

"Reducing weight will benefit the efficiency of every Ford vehicle," added Mascarenas. "However, it's particularly critical to improving the range of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles."

The joint development effort will also leverage work that The Dow Chemical Company has already begun through partnerships with Turkish carbon fiber manufacturer AKSA and the U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

If the joint development effort is successful, carbon fiber components may begin appearing on new Ford vehicles in the latter part of this decade as product development teams work toward meeting new fuel efficiency standards of more than 50 mpg and extending the range of plug-in vehicles.

Ford, Dow Chemical partner on carbon fiber composites, hope to shed up to 750 pounds

 

[Tispho]

Wow. Imagine a 2750lb Mustang. I'd want one.

 

[Coiled03]

op:

This could lead to some interesting developments.

 

[Ace5Oh]

That's good news.

 

[tarheeltrooper]

That car is beautiful!

 

[98 Saleen Cobra]

LOL maybe by the time I'm ready to buy a new Mustang they will be CF!!!

 

[CobraBob]

Weight savings is a good thing, and 750 is a good start. I'd love to see a more substantial weight reductions for the GT-500, Boss 302 and 5.0 GT.

 

[NasteeNate]

Wow excellentttt news.

 

[Steve@TF]

unless they put cf on ALL the mustangs then the prices of the cars will go up quite a bit. the Z06s have cf hood and front/rear fenders. they are $$$$. now, they dont make as Z06s as they do gt500s, or mustang GTs so maybe that could make the difference in bring the costs down.

 

[GO_N_H.A.M]

by the end of the decade lol

 

[SCBQQSTN]

Great news for weight reduction, bad news because cost will go even higher to buy the CF car/truck

 

[stvdman]

Maybe MASS production will cut some of the costs. Especially if say EACH model of the lineup gets the same pieces. I would imagine if only certain ones got it manufacturing costs would go up, plus, buy in volume usually decreases costs from the supplier.

Either way, weight reductions GOOD!

Those new CAFE restrictions on the horizon appear, at least initially, to be a very good thing for the consumer.

 

[Sapperstang]

$$$$

 

[Stevo151]

Holy shit that thing looks good!!! That's awesome to hear tho!

 

[s|ck]

Good way to save weight! I've already shedded 600lbs off my Lightning and still more to come! :rockon:

 

[ponyboyisaac]

Way to go ford. Imagine a 2900lb mustang with the current 420hp 5.0! performance goes way up, gas mileage improves dramatically, car will corner and handle way better...its just a win win win situation.

 

[ScreamingFast]

Sigh wish I had cf hood and panels........

 

[Raven519]

rofl, just when you thought 60k was a lot for a mustang, say hello to our new 80k mustang.

 

[VenomGTX]

Good way to save weight! I've already shedded 600lbs off my Lightning and still more to come! :rockon:

Moar!


Tap-a-taco

 

[GTSpartan]

This is really cool, but don't expect to see sub 3000# factory Mustangs on the streets anytime soon. There are 2 seater carbon fiber monocoque super cars covered in the stuff that can't get below the 3k mark. 750# makes for a nice media headline, but lets hold the celebrations for a bit.