Ford has made a strong commitment to going that extra mile in its green efforts as we discussed a few weeks ago in our Green Piece Column (see article). However, there can be no greater testament of its efforts than the new Ford Explorer.
According to reports, the 2011 model will be 85 per cent recyclable after leveraging Ford’s use of bio foam and recyclable fabric in its interior as well as using recycled steel on a number of exterior parts.
It’s a tremendous achievement for the Ford designers who have reduced the use of virgin steel by an estimated 119 tons, which in turn has reduced CO2 emissions by around 119 tons – that’s about the same amount as would be emitted by a mid-size car driving the circumference of the earth 14 times.
Using recycled fibre instead of virgin fibre results in a 20 per cent reduction in energy consumption; and there has also been a 14 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions from the Explorer’s seating materials. It also makes use of the 40 per cent soy polyurethane foam in seat cushions and seat backs with Ford committed to using the bio-based material in 100 per cent of its North American line-up by the end of the year. This has helped cut the company’s annual petroleum oil use by more than 10,500 barrels.
Thankfully, the Ford Explorer’s engine is fuel efficient too – it comes with a V6 and a turbocharged, direct injection 2.0litre four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, the latter of which offers 30 per cent better fuel economy than the current V6 powered Explorer.
