Ford Uses Kenaf Plant Inside Doors in the All-New Escape, Saving Weight and Energy

Kenaf plant makes the all-new Escape greener and a trip to the pump cheaper.

• Kenaf, a tropical plant related to cotton and okra plants, is being used to replace oil-based materials in the doors of the all-new Ford Escape

• Use of this eco-friendly material is anticipated to offset 300,000 pounds of oil-based resin annually in North America

• Kenaf reduces the weight of the door bolsters by 25 percent and improves fuel economy

• Kenaf is also used in cosmetics and kenaf fiber is an alternative to wood to make paper and cardboard; its leaves are edible

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 26, 2012 – Drivers of the all-new Ford Escape may be surprised to find out there is a plant inside the door.

 

As part of its overall effort to make vehicles more sustainable, Ford is making the material inside the door – known as the bolster – in part from kenaf.

 

Kenaf is a tropical plant that looks similar to bamboo and is related to cotton. The plant replaces oil-based materials inside the doors of the all-new Ford Escape.

 

The use of kenaf is anticipated to offset 300,000 pounds of oil-based resin per year in North America; use of this eco-friendly material reduces the weight of the door bolsters by 25 percent. Weight savings translate into fuel savings for drivers.

 

“Kenaf and the other renewable materials in the Escape have made the vehicle more environmentally friendly and fuel efficient,” said Laura Sinclair, materials engineer for Escape.

 

Kenaf oil is used in cosmetics and kenaf fiber is used as an alternative to wood in the production of paper. The upper leaves and shoots of the plant are edible.

 

The kenaf is combined with polypropylene in a 50-50 mixture inside the door of the Escape. International Automotive Components (IAC) manufactures the door bolsters in Greencastle, Ind.

 

Kenaf part of a greener Escape

The new Escape, which will be available to customers this spring, features several eco-friendly components in addition to the kenaf inside the doors.

 

Materials that are recycled, renewable, and that reduce impact on the environment include soy foam in the seats and head restraints; plastic bottles and other post-consumer and post-industrial materials in the carpeting; climate control gaskets made from recycled tires; and more than 10 pounds of scrap cotton from the making of denim jeans.

 

Wide use of more environmentally friendly, recycled and recyclable materials complements the projected best-in-class fuel economy of the all-new Ford Escape, further boosting the vehicle’s environmentally responsible credentials. The new Escape meets the USCAR Vehicle Recycling Partnership goal that 85 percent of the vehicle is recyclable.

Sno*Drift post race podium interviews with Chris Duplessis and Dillon Va...

One year ago as the lone Fiesta entered in Rally America, Dillon Van Way posted Fiesta's first North American 2WD rally class win at Sno*Drift. This year four Fiesta were entered in the 2WD class and 2010 2WD champion Chris Duplessis and his R2 Fiesta dominated the 2WD field winning by 5 minutes and 36 seconds over veteran rally driver Andrew "ACP" Comrie-Picard in a Scion. Van Way, the 2009 2WD champ, was third in class just 21 seconds behind ACP and closing as the rally ended.

Ford Racing TV - Rolex 24 preview: Krohn Racing

Ford Racing TV takes a look at the start of the 2012 GRAND AM Series season. First up is Krohn Racing who returns to the Daytona International Speedway for the 50th Anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, January 26-29, 2012, with many familiar faces behind the wheel of the No. 76 Krohn Racing Proto-Auto Ford Lola.

Team owner/driver Tracy W. Krohn has entered the twice-around-the-clock endurance race with regular co-driver, Swede Nic Jönsson, Krohn Racing Daytona standout and former Formula One ace, Brazilian Ricardo Zonta, and American teenage racing sensation, NASCAR star and former Krohn Racing regular Colin Braun. The foursome previously all drove at the 2010 Rolex 24 with Krohn Racing to a fourth place finish, one of two (2008) since the team's inception in 2006.

The 2012 year will mark Krohn Racing's seventh appearance as a team at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Krohn and Jönsson have competed in all six previous events. Zonta will make his fifth appearance, competing each year since 2008. This year will be Braun's fourth appearance with the Krohn team (2006, 2007, and 2010). All four Krohn Racing drivers have been on the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but have yet to take that step at the Rolex 24 At Daytona

Ford Racing's newest turnkey ready to race car the Focus ST-R

The Ford Racing's family of turnkey ready to race cars has been a force on the track since the introduction of the Mustang FR-500C at SEMA in 2004. The success and heritage has been passed from the FR500C to three versions of the Cobra Jet and tothe BOSS 302R. Now Ford Racing introduces the Focus ST-R which will make its competition debut this weekend at Daytona Intenational Raceway in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge.

In this video from Ford Racing TV, Ford Racing Engineering Supervisor, Mark Wilson and Multimatic Motorsports Team Manager, Sean Mason take you through the process of developing the Focus ST-R.

Inside Look at Ford and Art Center Students

Ford designers talk with Art Center College of Design students about future design trends, sustainability and consumer behaviors

Ford World Rally Team revs up for 2012

Follow on Facebook: http://fb.com/FordWRC and Twitter: http://twitter.com/FordWRC

After a short winter 'off' season, Ford World Rally Team is revved up and ready to go ahead of the 2012 World Rally Championship, beginning with the return of the iconic Rallye Monte Carlo this weekend. Find out how Fiesta RS WRC duo Jari-Matti Latvala and Petter Solberg have been preparing for what is well-renowned as being one of the toughest events on the calendar...

2012 Boss 302 Mustang Side-Exit Exhaust & Kooks Long Tube Headers Sound ...

The AmericanMuscle.com 2012 Boss 302 Mustang gets its factory side-exit exhaust back thanks to Kooks Custom Headers!

Our Boss 302 was featured in the January issue of Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords magazine, where we install and dyno tune a few modifications, such as Kooks headers to help us make this thing just a little bit faster! Then, we dyno tested...

While we were excited about the huge increase in horsepower and torque, we were a little upset that the signature Boss 302 side-exit exhaust had to be removed. Finally, we're in luck! The crew over at Kooks Custom Headers has just released their H-pipe to work in conjunction with their long-tube headers that allows Boss owners to retain the factory side exit exhaust!

Want to hear the difference? Check out the sound clip at the end of the video...

Read the Original Article: http://www.musclemustangfastfords.com/tech/mmfp_1201_boss_intake_and_exhaust_...

Mods:

Kooks 1 7/8" Long Tube Headers - http://muscle.am/sUoJQR
Kooks Off-Road H-Pipe with Boss Side-Exit Exhaust - COMING SOON
L&M Throttle Body - http://muscle.am/u1jnMv
JLT Carbon Fiber Cold Air Induction System - http://muscle.am/vpcsoQ
Bama Performance Custom Tuning - http://muscle.am/rvQQc0

Comment below and let us know what we should do to this 2012 Boss 302 Mustang next!

Go Behind the Scenes with Ford Social Insiders

We brought some Ford Social members to Detroit for the 2012 North American International Auto Show. See where they went and what they thought of the show, as well as their visit to Ford Motor Company and the Henry Ford.

All-New Ford Escape Gives Drivers Quieter Ride Thanks in Part to Mirror That ‘Sees’ Sound

Ford's eliptical acoustic mirror made the all-new Escape the quietest Escape yet.

• Ford reduces wind noise in all-new Ford Escape by using an elliptical acoustic mirror to measure noise

• This is the first use of this technology to test wind noise in a Ford sport utility vehicle

• The mirror is like a satellite dish with a microphone placed a short distance from the Escape, traversing it lengthwise to collect sound

• Acoustic mirrors were a precursor to radar, intended to detect airplanes

 

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 19, 2012 – When Ford engineers sought out innovative ways to reduce noise in the all-new Ford Escape, they looked in the mirror.

 

But these engineers did not look into any mirror; they focused their eyes on an elliptical acoustic mirror.

 

This high-tech device was used for the first time on Escape to reduce wind noise and deliver a quieter interior. The mirror resembles a satellite dish with a microphone. The mirror identifies “hot spots” where noise penetrates the interior of the vehicle, allowing drivers to listen to music or conversation inside the car instead of external noises.

 

This technology is deployed more commonly by European luxury vehicle manufacturers and is considered a breakthrough among U.S. manufacturers. The mirror measures noises on the surface of the vehicle and in the airflow.

 

Mirror reflects changes

The engineering team was able to make changes to the Escape shape, specifically the mirrors and A-pillar, while in the early clay model phase to test theories and validate expected results. Work was done in the Ford Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel in Germany.

 

“We previously didn’t have this tool available,” said Peter Kleesattel, interior quietness development engineer. “Essentially we were able to optimize the shape earlier. In noise and vibration, the basic idea is you have noise sources outside the vehicle and you have the path.

 

“The path could be through the glass, door or insulation. Now we’re able to optimize the shape early on, reduce the exterior source and create a quieter interior.”

 

The optimized shape means the new Escape is quieter than the outgoing vehicle, and preliminary data show it will be among the leaders in interior quietness. In particular, the tuning work on the A-pillar helps ensure better noise performance in crosswind situations.

 

Wind noise performance has been optimized through more than 160 hours of engineering. In a typical eight-hour block, more than 20 configurations can be tested, including glass, mirror sealing and door sealing.

 

“Using the elliptical acoustic mirror helped the team pinpoint the source of the noise,” said Bill Gulker, NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) supervisor. “Previous technologies required more of a trial-and-error approach to finding the issue.”

 

The science behind acoustic mirrors dates back almost 100 years. The technology was a precursor to radar, used for “listening” for and detecting enemy aircraft along the coast of Great Britain during World War I.

Ford Transit: Durability and Fleet Testing for North American Customers

The next-generation Ford Transit full-size van will be built in the United States as an eventual replacement for the best-selling Econoline E-series. Sharing the same name and platform as the Transit that's sold in Europe, Asia and other markets, we're putting Transit through grueling durability and real world testing to make sure it will live up the demands of our customers and E-Series' workhorse reputation.

Tanner Foust tests the Focus ST-R

Global RallyCross Champion and founding member of the Octane Academy Tanner Foust spent a day at Homestead-Miami Speedway last week testing the latest turnkey ready to race car from Ford Racing, the Focus ST-R. The Focus ST-R is slated to make its competition debut January 26-27 during the Grand AM weekend at Daytona in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Foust came away impressed with the newest edition to the FR family of cars.

Ford F-150, Mustang Boss 302 snag Lifestyle Awards from Cars.com

Ford has a car to fit just about every consumer’s way of life, and the Lifestyle Awards handed out by Cars.com prove they are spot on. Cars.com selected Mustang Boss 302 for Play Car of the Year because, “We've liked the Mustang’s blend of raw power and handling prowess. Those qualities have been relentlessly honed in the Boss 302, and we’re suitably impressed.” Additionally, the Ford F-150 won Cars.com’s Work Car of the Year. Editors applauded F-150 because, “If you need your work truck to do double duty, the F-150 has you covered.” It tops the class “because it has stayed fresh and evolved with the market.” Click here for more.

1965 Ford Mustang Commercial

1965 Ford Mustang Commercial

Angela Harris turns bottles and beans into seats and carpets for the For...

Angela Harris turns bottles and beans into seats and carpets for the Ford Fusion

FORD SUPER DUTY. WE OWN WORK. FORESTRY.

Buzzing saws, falling trees and a work floor that's steep, slick and rugged. Loggers have a dangerous job. They need a truck that's as tough as they are. See why the Ford Super Duty stands high above the rest in the forestry business.

Ford Fusion Autoweek Magazine's Best of Show

The all-new Ford Fusion is awarded the "Best of Show" at this year's North American International Auto Show by Autoweek Magazine.

2013 Ford Fusion

From the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, Cars.com's Kelsey Mays takes a look at the 2013 Ford Fusion.

Ford, REPREVE to Recycle 2 Million Plastic Bottles Back into the New 2012 Focus Electric and Other Vehicles

With the Focus Electric, the absence of gasoline or diesel engine and its outstanding aerodynamics lead to a remarkably quiet, comfortable in-car experience. Focus Electric also is the industry's first car to feature 100 percent sustainable clean technologies in interior materials, including seat fabrics with REPREVE-branded fiber made from recycled plastic bottles in the seat fabric.

• Ford, through the use of REPREVE^®, plans to divert about 2 million post-consumer plastic bottles from landfills for use in new vehicles beginning with the 2012 Focus Electric – the first vehicle to feature branded REPREVE’s seat fabric made from a hybrid blend of recycled plastic bottles and post-consumer waste

• The companies will collect bottles at events throughout the year, beginning with the North American International Auto Show and Consumer Electronics Show, that will be recycled back into REPREVE recycled fibers

• Focus Electric is the first vehicle with interior materials made of 100 percent clean technology, including the use of REPREVE recycled fibers; seating in each vehicle interior uses roughly 22 recycled plastic bottles

• Recycling effort is under way to raise awareness that only 29 percent of plastic bottles are recycled in the United States – nearly half the rate as in Europe

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 5, 2012 – Ford, through the use of REPREVE^®, plans to divert about 2 million post-consumer plastic bottles for use in the new Focus Electric and other new vehicles for the next model year.

 

The Focus Electric contains REPREVE-based fabrics that are made from about 22 recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles in each car. This is the first Ford vehicle to have an interior made from 100 percent clean technology.

 

“Ford is committed to delivering vehicles with leading fuel efficiency while targeting at least 25 percent clean technology in interior materials across our lineup,” says Carol Kordich, lead designer of Sustainable Materials for Ford. “The Focus Electric highlights this commitment as Ford’s first gas-free vehicle, and the first in the automotive industry to use branded REPREVE.”

 

“After decades of education, the United States PET bottle recycling rate is only at 29 percent, about half the rate of Europe,” said Roger Berrier, president and COO of Unifi Inc. (NYSE: UFI). “We hope this recycling initiative with Ford will help raise visibility around the importance of recycling with a goal to drive recycling rates to 100 percent, diverting millions of plastic bottles from entering the waste stream and potentially back into REPREVE-branded fibers.”

 

Ford and Unifi will help collect some of the bottles destined for Ford vehicles by recycling plastic bottles from the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) taking place in Detroit on Jan. 9-10 and the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Jan. 10-13.

 

Quality on the inside

The REPREVE seat fabric is a polyester fiber made from a hybrid blend of recycled materials, including post-industrial fiber waste and post-consumer waste such as the plastic water bottles made of PET.

 

Using REPREVE also reduces energy consumption by offsetting the need to use newly refined crude oil for production. The technology meets all Ford design and comfort requirements to help ensure the Focus Electric and other vehicles meet the company’s high performance standards.

 

“We aimed to make the Focus Electric the most overall sustainable vehicle available to consumers, from using clean technology to overall vehicle efficiency,” said Kordich.

 

The Focus Electric, Ford’s first all-electric passenger car, started production in December 2011 at Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich. When full production is under way in March, the car’s seat fabric could contain plastic bottles collected at NAIAS or CES.

 

Eco-conscious solutions

Ford’s “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” commitment is part of the company’s broader global sustainability strategy to reduce its environmental footprint while at the same time accelerating the development of advanced, fuel-efficient vehicle technologies around the world.

 

Currently Ford vehicles are approximately 90 percent recyclable at end of life. By using recycled content in its vehicles and ensuring its parts are recyclable, Ford is leading the industry in recycling efforts. Ford’s goal is to have its vehicles be 100 percent recyclable.

 

In 2009, Ford mandated that fabric suppliers use a minimum of 25 percent recycled content for all 2009 and beyond model year vehicles. Since then, 37 different fabrics meeting the requirements have been developed and incorporated into Ford vehicles.

 

Examples include soy foam seat cushions and head restraints, wheat straw-filled plastic, castor oil foam in instrument panels, recycled resins for underbody systems, recycled yarns on seat covers and natural-fiber plastic for interior components.

Ford Creates First Silicon Valley Presence with New Research Lab to Drive Innovation in Personal Mobility

Ford plans to open its first Silicon Valley-based Research Lab to scout new technology and find new partners to innovate personal mobility solutions for the future.

• Ford Motor Company will create and open a new research lab in Silicon Valley early this year – its first-ever dedicated R&D office on the west coast

• New lab will support Ford’s vision that its future is not just about building cars but about creating uncompromised personal mobility experiences for people around the world

• Lab will be a hub for Ford to develop a wide spectrum of partnerships with established and startup tech firms and with universities in the area, such as Stanford

DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 6, 2012 – Ford Motor Company today announced plans to create and open its first dedicated research lab in Silicon Valley early this year, further growing the company’s commitment to make technology affordable for millions.

 

“Ford has an incredible heritage of driving innovation in the transportation and manufacturing sectors during the past 107 years,” said Paul Mascarenas, Ford chief technical officer and vice president of Research and Innovation. “Now it’s time to prepare for the next 100 years, ushering in a new era of collaboration and finding new partners to help us transform what it means to be an automaker.”

 

Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally will elaborate on the new areas of focus for the forthcoming Silicon Valley lab, plus Ford’s latest industry-leading technologies including SYNC^®, EcoBoost^™, MyKey^® and inflatable rear safety belts, when he returns to the International CES on Jan. 11 for the Innovation Power Panel keynote. This will be Ford’s fourth consecutive keynote presentation at CES.  

 

Ford Research and Innovation, the company’s advanced engineering arm, will open the new Silicon Valley lab in the first quarter, helping ensure Ford keeps pace with consumer trends and aggressively prepares for the future by developing mobility solutions to harness the power of seamless connectivity, cloud computing and clean technology.

 

“An open attitude to new ideas is critical to solving the transportation, environmental and societal challenges we expect in the future,” said Mascarenas. “With increasing pressures from urbanization and the need to reduce energy use, we’re going to see energy storage, wireless connectivity, sensing systems and even autonomous vehicles as key parts of the solution.”

 

The new Ford lab will be located in the San Francisco Bay area of California and will serve as a hub for independent technology projects and identification of new research investments and partners located along the west coast. Ultimately, the lab will create an “innovation network” connecting Ford’s Advanced Design Studio in Irvine, Calif., and Ford employees working with connectivity platform partner Microsoft Corp. in Redmond, Wash.

 

“Silicon Valley represents a deep and dynamic technology neighborhood and is far from Dearborn,” said K. Venkatesh Prasad, senior technical leader for open innovation with Ford Research and Innovation. “With so many opportunities and so much potential, our new lab will allow us to scout new technologies and partners in their own environment and continue our expansion beyond the traditional automaker mindset to drive innovation for a better mobility experience.”

 

Prasad – a Silicon Valley veteran himself – will travel from Dearborn to the Bay area regularly to shape the lab. The new research lab’s employees will be recruited both locally and rotated-in from the global network of Ford employees and will spend their time developing and discovering new technologies, trends, partners and collaborative research projects, said Prasad.

 

The number of Ford employees at its new lab will be comparable to what you expect of a startup, with an emphasis on quality over quantity, said Prasad.

 

Prasad added that the establishment of Ford’s all-new Silicon Valley lab will not duplicate or replace work being done at the company’s Research and Innovation Center in Dearborn, its European facility in Aachen, Germany, or the recently established technology office in Nanjing, China.

 

Ford’s global Research and Innovation team is already working in several key areas that will be supported by the work of the Silicon Valley lab including:

 

• Personal mobility: Mindful of consumer trends and the growth of megacities, Ford is researching new business models that will help avoid the creation of global gridlock through a holistic approach to personal transportation
• Open-source hardware and software developer kits: Working with New York City-based startup Bug Labs, Ford is launching OpenXC, a research platform that will allow developers to access key vehicle data in order to innovate cloud-based apps and services. The first OpenXC beta developer kits will be shipped this month to several participating universities including MIT, University of Michigan and Stanford
• The car as a sensor: Researching ways to utilize the multitude of sensors within the vehicle to improve the road for all drivers, Ford is opening the data channels to developers. For example, San Francisco-based Weather Underground is looking at ways to leverage vehicle windshield wiper activations to improve its weather proximity reporting

“Ford integrates technologies, software and electronics at the same pace as the most innovative companies in the world – our platform just happens to be the car,” said Mascarenas. “The new Silicon Valley lab will propel us further as we look at the many facets of life where mobility interacts with society and see how we can make those experiences better for millions of customers around the world.”