Life Cycle Assessment of Lightweight Materials for Automotive Applications

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is the powerful method to evaluate and assess the product in terms of environmental damage and harmfulness. This chapter considers the available technology and materials to make a base model Ford Fusion 2013 out of available lightweight materials without affecting safety or performance of the vehicle. Researchers have been working on the life cycle of the automotive parts for years and there has been great publication on the topic. The automotive industry is the major consumer of the fiber reinforced polymers and each year this industry alone consumes about 31" of total production. Natural fibers are considered carbon neutral by some of the researchers and have thermal and acoustic properties that are favored by the auto industry. Each auto manufacturer has its own strategy to reduce emissions, and some like Ford even try to adopt aluminum instead of heavier steel. Ford Motor Company has been very active in the utilization of new and innovative materials.