the Ford GT. Ford, during a presentation at a company facility, said the GT’s exterior glass will weigh 46 lb (21 kg), about 12 lb (5 kg) lighter than conventional glass. Ford hasn’t committed to using Gorilla Glass beyond the GT but said the material could be used more broadly. “We’re technically capable” of using Gorilla Glass on other models, Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s global purchasing chief, told reporters at the briefi ng. “We’re not ready to make announcements.” The company also declined to comment on the cost of the lighter glass. Corning introduced lighter and stronger Gorilla Glass in 2007 for smartphones and tablet computers. Ford has worked with Corning to develop automotive applications. Automakers are looking to reduce vehicle weight as
part of efforts to meet regulatory demands for improved fuel effi ciency. The US auto fl eet must average 54.5 miles per gallon (23 kilometers per liter) by 2025 and other nations have set similar standards. Almost no current vehicles outside of electric, electric hybrids and plug-in
electric hybrids currently meet the 2025 standards, ac- cording to the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) in Ann Arbor, MI. Ford, which also is based in Dearborn, has reacted by building its F-150 pickup with aluminum body panels, which reduced the weight of the truck by 700 lb (315 kg). The automaker is planning to do the same with its line of Super Duty pickups.
Equipping vehicles with lighter glass has the poten- tial for weight savings. The company says a Focus car has about 80 lb (36 kg) of exterior glass and an Explorer sport-utility vehicle has about 100 lb (45 kg). With the GT, Gorilla Glass is used for the windshield’s inner layer, the outer layer is traditional glass and a plastic adhesive is in the middle. Ford and Corning said the Gorilla Glass will lower the GT’s center of gravity and improve its handling. The GT’s “frameless” side windows will have standard glass.
—Senior Editor Bill Koenig
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February 2016 |
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