Ford to bring carbon fiber to the masses
More than a hundred years ago, the Ford Model T made the automobile available to the masses and now, the Dearborn, Michigan, car manufacturer is aiming to do the same with carbon fiber.
According to reports, the recently announced new Ford GT halo is only the tip of the iceberg. The eco-boost supercar is expected to pave the way for the automotive giant to pioneer carbon fiber technology.
Ford announced that it has teamed up with materials company DowAksa to move forward innovation in carbon fiber production. Essentially, Ford's aim is to be the first company to create a viable, high-volume manufacturing process that will make the material more affordable and accessible than ever before.
“This opportunity builds upon Ford’s current joint development agreement with Dow Chemical and accelerates our timeline to introduce carbon fiber composites into high-volume applications,” says Jim deVries, the Ford Global Manager of Materials and Manufacturing Research.
The implications are massive - weight is the enemy of both performance and efficiency. If Ford is capable of creating safe and supremely road worthy vehicles while also shaving hundreds of pounds, then the automaker will potentially gap its rivals in the immediate future.
