April 20, 2015—Ford announced on Friday that it will work with DowAksa to develop cost-effective carbon fiber for the mass production of vehicles.

Ford said the material will play a significant role in the drive to make vehicles lighter for better fuel efficiency, performance and capability.

"This joint development agreement reinforces Ford’s commitment to our partnership with DowAksa, and our drive to bring carbon fiber components to the broader market," said Mike Whitens, director of Vehicle Enterprise Sciences for Ford Research & Advanced Engineering. “The goal of our work here fits within the company’s Blueprint for Sustainability, where future Ford vehicles will be lighter with optimized performance that would help consumers further improve fuel economy and reduce emissions.”

The joint development agreement allows the companies to collaboratively generate new, lower-cost automotive grades of carbon fiber that can be applied to aligned and random fiber formats while maintaining compatibility with both thermoset and thermoplastic matrices.

The agreement also includes a pathway for potential extension of development collaboration into a commercial manufacturing partnership.