Ford has developed a prototype carbon fibre bonnet that the company intends to use to help lower fuel consumption. The use of carbon fibre gives a 50 per cent weight reduction of the bonnet over the standard steel item, which in turn will help to save fuel.
For those who are concerned about structural rigidity of the new component, reassurances can be had from the material's statistics. Carbon fibre is up to five times as strong as steel and twice as stiff, while only weighing a third of the weight. Initial tests suggest that the new material will meet Ford's stiffness, dent resistance and crash performance standards.
As carbon fibre is usually only found on supercars and racing vehicles, mass production is not normally adopted for it. However, thanks to studies by Ford's European Research Centre, the new bonnet can be built quickly enough for insertion into Ford's production line.
The new bonnet is just the beginning of Ford's plan to reduce the overall weight of its vehicles by 340kg by the end of the decade.
"Reducing a vehicle's weight can deliver major benefits for fuel consumption, but a process for fast and affordable production of carbon fibre in large numbers has never been available," said Inga Wehmeyer, Advanced Materials and Processes Research Engineer, Ford European Research Centre. "Customers should not expect to see carbon fibre bodied examples on sale in the near future; but techniques developed could be transferred to [mass production] at a later date."
Ford's involvement in the Hightech.NRW research project will also look at other new materials, design processes and manufacturing techniques for its models.