Expect recycled materials in 2014 F-150 trucks.
Keeping with Ford’s efforts to reduce their environmental impact, the Ford Motor Co. has announced that it intends to use various recycled materials in producing its 2014 Ford F-150 pickup, which is being built at the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo.
According to the Kansas City Business Journal, The 2014 F-150 will utilize rice hulls, which are a byproduct of rice grain, to reinforce the plastic in wire harnesses. Ford will source the necessary 45,000 pounds from supplier RheTech, which is based in Whitmore Lake, Mich.
“We developed this resin specifically for Ford over the past three years, working with the automaker closely, including in all phases of material qualification,” RheTech director of business development David Preston said in a release. “The whole process has been a rewarding success for both Ford and RheTech, which can add yet another natural-fiber based product to our RheVision line.”
The news coincides with Ford’s recent announcement that it will produce 2014 F-150s powered by compressed natural gas. Ford recently posted its best sales for the month of July in 7 years, thanks largely to a 23 percent increase in F-Series sales.
In addition to the rice hulls, the KCBJ reports that the 2014 F-150s will incorporate recycled cotton for insulation and sound absorption; soybeans for seat cushions, seat backs, and head restraints; and recycled carpet, tires, post-industrial plastics, and plastic bottles for a myriad number of uses.
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