Mexican Media Brands
Ford Begins Testing Carbon Fiber Subframe from Magna
Ford Motor Co. has begun validation tests on a prototype carbon fiber composite subframe co-developed with Magna International Inc.
Share
Ford Motor Co. has begun validation tests on a prototype carbon fiber composite subframe co-developed with Magna International Inc.
Ford is testing the system in a Fusion midsize sedan. Magna tells Automotive News that the carmaker will decide by year-end whether to put the assembly into production.
Carbon fiber is strong but also brittle compared with high-strength steel. Magna says its design can absorb only 5% of the energy involved in a front-end crash. The company acknowledges that steel and perhaps other metals would be required to meet crash standards.
Magna tells AN that side doors may be a more likely, though also challenging, next application for carbon fiber. The material is already used in rear liftgates, where crash energy absorption isn’t a big performance issue.
RELATED CONTENT
-
On Automotive: An All Electric Edition
A look at electric vehicle-related developments, from new products to recycling old batteries.
-
On Fuel Cells, Battery Enclosures, and Lucid Air
A skateboard for fuel cells, building a better battery enclosure, what ADAS does, a big engine for boats, the curious case of lean production, what drivers think, and why Lucid is remarkable
-
Multiple Choices for Light, High-Performance Chassis
How carbon fiber is utilized is as different as the vehicles on which it is used. From full carbon tubs to partial panels to welded steel tube sandwich structures, the only limitation is imagination.
