Ford Motor Company & Jose Cuervo Team Up To Spare The Environment

The public appetite for innovation and new technology in the automotive field is voracious. The focus is usually on the “Next Big Thing” … alt fuel powertrains  … autonomous vehicles … but most progress is made in many small steps.

Ford Motor Company and Jose Cuervo® are experimenting with the use of agave plant debris from the tequila making process to create a sustainable bioplastic material to incorporate in vehicles.

They are testing the durability and heat resistance of the material for interior and exterior vehicle components.

This kind of sustainable composite reduces the weight of car parts, which improves fuel economy and reduces the use of petrochemicals, decreasing the overall impact of vehicles on the environment.

Ford Motor Company has done its share of big innovation starting in 1913 with the first automotive assembly line.

More recently they have been aggressive in the full range of range of onboard connectivity options, and made an early commitment to a comprehensive green program that has included hybrids for over a decade and now the highly acclaimed Fusion Energi plug-in electric since 2012. And Ford scored an industry first with use of weight reducing aluminum in best selling F-150 pickup.

Last year Ford opened the Innovation & Research Center in Palo Alto, CA the heart of Silicon Valley where they are working on connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, customer experience and big data.