TRAVERSE
CITY – Altairtogether with the Center for Automotive Research has announced Ford Motor Company as the
winner of the 3rd annual Altair Enlighten Award for its use of various lightweight
materials to minimize weight of the 2015 Ford F-150.
The award
was presented today during the 2015 CAR Management Briefing Seminars (MBS) in
Traverse City. The Enlighten Award is the automotive industry’s first award
program created specifically to acknowledge innovation in vehicle weight
reduction.
Ford’s
entry, one of 17 nominations that competed for the award, was selected as the
winner for taking 700 pounds (318 kg) off of the Ford F-150 while improving its
performance, safety, and efficiency. Ford engineers took a holistic approach to
weight reduction by incorporating advanced materials into the entire design of
the vehicle, including the frame, body, powertrain, battery and interior
features such as the seats. The weight savings help the truck tow more, haul
more, accelerate quicker and stop shorter, and it contributes to fuel
efficiency.
High-strength,
military-grade, aluminum alloys were used throughout the F-150 for the first
time, saving approximately 400 pounds (181 kg) from the vehicle’s body. Ford’s
engineering, research and manufacturing teams overcame the challenge of
shifting from the traditional steel body to the advanced aluminum production. This
is a noteworthy example of taking aluminum to a high volume application.
“As
America’s truck leader, Ford is honored to be named the 2015 Altair Enlighten
Award winner for the all-new Ford F-150,” said Raj Nair, Group Vice
President, Global Product Development and Chief Technical Officer, Ford Motor
Company. “This award is recognition of our outstanding team members, who
set out to build the best truck ever for our customers.”
Additionally,
Ford increased use of high-strength steel from 23 percent to 78 percent. By
doing so, it increased the stiffness of the frame while reducing the weight by
as much as 60 pounds (27 kg). The 2015 F-150 established a new standard for
full-size pickups by bringing together improved capability and efficiency,
along with cutting-edge smart vehicle technology.
“We are
happy to congratulate Ford for winning the 2015 Altair Enlighten Award,”
said Dave Mason, Vice President of Global Automotive at Altair. “It’s
encouraging to see Ford implementing a holistic lightweighting strategy, which
resulted in impressive weight savings that were incredibly significant to the
judging panel.”
This year’s
first runner-up is General Motors, who developed and used innovative
computer-aided engineering (CAE) methods to achieve a 163 pound (74 kg) weight
reduction on the Alpha architecture of the 2012 Cadillac ATS/CTS. Immersive
lattice topology optimization, strategic structural bulkhead placement, and
multi-disciplinary loadcase optimization, were used, along with expert
interpretation of the results, to lead the design of the architecture
structure. The Alpha architecture delivers mass efficiency, stiffness, safety,
structural feel, and has improved fuel economy without degrading on-road
performance characteristics.
Second
runner-up was awarded to Faurecia together with Automotive Performance
Materials (APM). The NAFILean (Natural Fibers for Lean Injection Design)
solution brought sustainable design to instrument panels, center consoles and
door panels of the 2013 Peugeot 308 by integrating a natural, hemp-based fiber
with polypropylene, which allows for complex shapes and architectures along
with a weight savings of 20-25 percent.
“The
Ford F-150, GM’s Cadillac ATS/CTS, and the Faurecia/APM solutions are terrific
examples of how this industry is working extremely hard to find cost-effective
lightweight solutions,” said judging chair Dr. Jay Baron, President and
CEO of CAR and Director of CAR’s Coalition for Automotive Lightweighting
Materials. “The Enlighten Award showcases successful mass reduction
through a wide variety of solutions demonstrated by all of the 2015
nominations, and the award helps to both educate and recognize the
contributions by these great companies.”
