DETROIT — Ford is entering a joint venture with carbon-fiber manufacturer DowAksa, a move aimed at more widely using the costly material to significantly reduce the weight of vehicles that need to meet tougher emissions standards.
The automaker took a leadership position in the use of advanced materials when it released an aluminum F-150 pickup truck late last year. The F-150, Ford’s highest volume and most profitable vehicle, saw its fuel-economy numbers improve as a result.
Long considered to be an expensive exotic material, automakers such as Ford have been gradually increasing the use of the material. Currently, carbon fiber is mostly seen as the material for use on sports cars, such as hoods or entire bodies, but higher-volume vehicles are increasingly employing it.
A recent survey published by Plastics News estimates carbon fiber for automotive costs $10 to $12 a pound, compared with the publication’s estimate of less than $1 for the same amount of steel. The cost of carbon fiber for automotive is down one-third from the price a decade ago, the publication said, but needs to be cut by about half to be commercially viable for widespread adoption.
