Lotus Cars founder Colin Chapman once observed, "To add speed, add lightness." Now, the Ford Motor Company is putting a modern spin on Chapman's statement: To save fuel, add lightness.
During this week’s 2008 SAE World Congress in Detroit, the company announced a broad initiative to enhance automotive materials — and lighten the cars themselves — through the use of nanotechnology, a broad scientific field wherein materials' properties and chemistry are manipulated on the atomic or molecular level to achieve a desired outcome.
Guided by a goal to realize a 40-percent boost in fuel efficiency by 2020, Ford's scientists are working to reduce vehicles' curb weights by some 250 to 750 pounds, depending on the model, using nanoparticles to create materials that weigh less but sacrifice nothing in terms of strength, performance, or durability.
Areas of focus for Ford include exterior paints that adhere better, stay bright longer, don't chip, and efficiently dissipate heat. The company is also studying ways to make lighter, stronger alloys for engine castings and scouring every nook and cranny for weight-loss opportunities.
For instance, Ford's lab in Germany has created a spray-on nano-coating that may replace cast-iron cylinder liners. The substance wears hard and cuts friction losses significantly, at a fraction of the iron liners' weight.
Ford estimates that by 2015, some 70 percent of automotive materials will be modified or redefined by nanotechnology.
Photo: Ford
