What is in a Vehicle? - Sustainability Report 2013/14

As automobiles have become more sophisticated and capable, they have also become more complex. A typical modern vehicle might contain up to 10,000 different parts made of about 1,000 different types of materials, that in turn are made from about 10,000 different chemical substances. To understand our approach to sustainable materials, it is useful to understand the kinds and amounts of materials that are in our vehicles. The graphic above shows the primary materials categories used in our vehicles. Click on each material category to read more about those materials, the approximate amounts used in our vehicles, and our sustainable-material strategy.

Metals

Most vehicles are made of at least 75 percent metals by weight. While the metals in today’s vehicles are primarily steel and iron, we are working to increase the use of lightweight metals such as aluminum, magnesium and titanium. By replacing iron and steel with these metals, we can reduce the total weight of the vehicle and therefore help improve vehicle fuel economy. However, we use life cycle analysis tools to ensure that when we use lighter materials, like aluminum, we end up with net life cycle energy and CO₂ benefits. (For more information, see the Lightweight Materials section.) Because all metals are routinely recycled at the end of a vehicle’s useful life, we focus most of our sustainable materials efforts on nonmetallic parts.

Ford Ranger

79% metals

Ford Fiesta

76% metals

Ford Fusion

76% metals

Ford Edge

76% metals

Plastics, Textiles and Natural Materials

These materials are the primary focus of our sustainable materials efforts. Though they make up a much smaller percentage by weight of the average vehicle than metals, they are the second-largest category in most vehicles. Increasing the amount of recycled content in these materials diverts waste from landfills. Increasing the amount of renewable content in these materials can reduce our dependence on finite resources and reduce life cycle greenhouse gas emissions. We are using a wide range of recycled-content plastics and renewable, plant-based materials in our vehicles. (For more information, see Choosing More Sustainable Materials.)

Ford Ranger

17% plastics, textiles and natural materials

Ford Fiesta

19% plastics, textiles and natural materials

Ford Fusion

18.5% plastics, textiles and natural materials

Ford Edge

18% plastics, textiles and natural materials

Non-Dimensional Materials

These are materials such as paint, adhesives and sealants that have no shape or “dimension” before they are incorporated into a vehicle. Many non-dimensional materials have been a traditional source of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions during the vehicle manufacturing process. We are taking steps to replace VOC-emitting materials with alternatives or change our processes to reduce or recapture VOC emissions. (For more information, see Non-CO₂ Facilities-Related Emissions.)

Ford Ranger

1% non-dimensional materials

Ford Fiesta

1% non-dimensional materials

Ford Fusion

1.3% non-dimensional materials

Ford Edge

1% non-dimensional materials

Electronics, Ceramics, Glass and Other Compounds

Ford has been working with our suppliers, dealers, dismantlers and industry associations (such as the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR) Vehicle Recycling Partnership) to develop, share and implement best practices to deal with these categories of materials, which are a small percentage of any given vehicle by weight but are hard to recycle at the end of the vehicle’s life. Dealers and dismantlers are encouraged to reuse or recycle these materials whenever it is technically and economically feasible, to help divert them from landfills. Ford seeks to keep these materials to less than 5 percent of our vehicles, to maintain an overall vehicle recoverability rate of 95 percent.

Ford Ranger

0.2% electronics

2.3% ceramics, glass and other compounds

Ford Fiesta

0.5% electronics

3% ceramics, glass and other compounds

Ford Fusion

0.2% electronics

3.5% ceramics, glass and other compounds

Ford Edge

0.2% electronics

4% ceramics, glass and other compounds

Fuels and Consumable Liquids

These materials include the gasoline in the tank, engine oil, lubricants and other liquids. They are generally removed at dismantlers and recycled/reused where possible.

Ford Ranger

0.5% fuels and consumable liquids

Ford Fiesta

0.5% fuels and consumable liquids

Ford Fusion

0.5% fuels and consumable liquids

Ford Edge

0.8% fuels and consumable liquids