2018 Ford EcoSport Uses Honeycomb Design for Super Strong Cargo Shelf
Ford took unique inspiration when designing the four-way, adjustable cargo shelf that will enable owners of the new 2018 Ford EcoSport to carry heavy-duty items without breaking eggshells beneath them: bees.
The adjustable parcel shelf was designed using recycled paper honeycomb that weighs only six pounds in total but is able to support up to 700 pounds of cargo. All the while, as Ford demonstrates in a video you’ll find below, delicate items store beneath bags of mulch and concrete are completely unharmed.
“The hexagonal design of honeycomb is a testament to nature’s ingenuity,” says Mike Mazzella, Ford EcoSport assistant chief engineer. “Not only is it strong, it’s superlight. Customers can slide the shelf into multiple different slots like an oven rack; even store it on the back of the seats. It helps make EcoSport super-flexible in everyday use.”
The shelf can be set in four different positions for maximum versatility. It can be removed completely and stored vertically behind the second-row seats, it can be set high for a cargo floor in line with the fold-flat second-row seats, it can be set in the middle for secure sub-floorboard storage, and it can be set to its lowest position to serve as a load floor that can protect cartons of eggs from the weight of five bags of concrete mix or eight gallons of water.
All because Ford engineered the shelf with honeycomb structure in mind, recycled paper and water-based glue between two layers of composite for exceptional strength and durability. This one’s for the bees!
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