Ford, Dow to Partner on Carbon-Fiber Research

Ford Motor Co. and the Dow Automotive Systems unit of Dow Chemical Co. have agree to collaborate in a quest to find ways to use carbon-fiber composites in high-volume production vehicles.

Dow will focus on materials research and high-volume polymer processing methods. Ford will concentrate on vehicle component design and mass-production techniques.

Ford hopes to use high-strength, low-weight carbon-fiber-reinforced materials to help reach a goal of reducing new-vehicle weight by as much as 750 lbs by 2020. The company says its vehicles could begin using components made of such materials about four years from now assuming the partnership is successful.

Supercars and race cars use carbon-fiber composites now, and the material has become a common element in concept cars. Interest in the material has surged as carmakers look for ways to meet future fuel economy standards in the U.S. and Europe. But carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic remains far too costly for high-volume production vehicles.

Last year BMW AG formed a $340 million venture with Germany's SGL Carbon SE and its automotive fibers affiliate to make carbon fibers in the U.S. and use them in plastic components made in Germany. BMW has said it believes the material could offset most of the weight of the electric powertrain in such vehicles as the i3 EV and i8 plug-in hybrid models it plans to introduce in 2013 and 2014, respectively.