A car made partially out of rope, carpet and dartboard materials? It may sound like something out of MacGyver, or perhaps a sort of children's toy. But in fact it's Ford's latest project.
Ford is investigating the possibility of making plastic car parts out of sisal - a plant that is used in rope, carpet and also scratching posts for cats. According to a Ford press release, the company has already manufactured an injection molding technique that would add 30 percent hemp or sisal content to plastic parts.
These materials are ecologically friendly, and their use would reduce the weight of these parts by 10 percent, the company states. Ford also sees a benefit in the fact sisal is cultivated in poor, third-world countries, such as Kenya, Tanzania and Haiti.
Sisal is of major economic importance to some developing countries and communities; it's a perennial agave plant that thrives on marginal land in hot and arid conditions, and it's use has far-reaching social benefits," said Maria Magnani, advanced materials expert, in a Ford press release.
A worker cultivates sisal, a plant that may be used in Ford plastics.
In addition, the company states these parts are manufactured at 40 degrees less than traditional plastic parts, meaning they require less fossil fuels for production, the company stated.
"The use of renewable and sustainable materials in our vehicle parts reduced the use of fossil-oil-based product and in turn reduces the dependency on finite sources," Magnani said. "As the oil for producing plastic becomes more scarce and expensive, it's likely that the interest in using renewable materials will grow, but we're aiming to stay ahead of the game now."
In the past, Ford has used a similar injection molding technique to add hemp, flax, wood fibers and other renewable materials to its plastic parts.
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