The #FarmToCar mission is simple: replace petroleum-based plastics with plant-based materials.https://t.co/ETS8NqtqxL
— Ford Drive Green (@FordDriveGreen) May 10, 2016
This might sound like the brainchild of an idealistic hippie whose hobbies include barefoot hiking and hugging trees, but making car parts out of plants and food-scraps might actually be a pragmatic manufacturing solution.
Since switching all of its North American vehicles from petroleum-based foam to soy-based seat cushion foam, Ford Motor Company saves over 20 million pounds of carbon dioxide per year -- the same amount generated by 1,500 American households.
What if you don't care about the emissions, and you just want a solid car that performs well and won't break the bank?
Ford has found that farm-to-car materials, including rice, wheat, and coconut byproducts, not only help the environment, but also reduce manufacturing costs, and reduce vehicle weight. Not relying on foreign oil, and focusing instead on American-grown agricultural products, shields Ford from wild swings in oil pricing.
Our new Ford vehicles in Houston contain up to 40 pounds of renewable materials each, and Ford is working every day to innovate new materials to help the planet stay healthier, and improve the manufacturing process. Test drive one today at Mac Haik Ford Inc.