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\ABS\Auto Blog Samurai\data\insurance\wwwallstatecom\ford+has+been+working+with+new+eco+friendly+materials+to+use+for+their+vehicles+interior+and+other+parts_16000325_800515213_0_0_7018745_300.jpg "Ford has been working with new eco-friendly materials to use for their vehicles'' interior and other parts.")
People who buy a new car from Ford may have the added bonus up making an environmentally friendly choice without even realizing it.
Working alongside researchers at Ohio State University, officials with Ford say they are close to developing a new rubber-like substance from dandelions which could replace synthetic, petroleum-based rubbers, according to the New York Times.
The paper states the material could be used for car features such as cup holders, interior trim and floor mats, and may provide a green alternative to petroleum-based vehicle materials.
Philip Gott, managing director of IHS Automotive, an auto industry forecast center, told the newspaper the development of a rubber replacement, which is more eco-friendly, could be substantially positive for the environment.
"Far from 'greenwashing,' there has been a longstanding effort on the part of the industry to use natural plants to produce manufactured goods," he told the paper, adding European auto manufacturers are also looking into creating and using the new material.
Ford has history of working with alternative materials
Since Henry Ford began the company, the paper states Ford has tested a variety of alternative products and materials to use in their vehicles, such as toy parts. Today, officials with the auto manufacturer have made a number of changes to vehicle materials, including the use of soy-based foam to create car seats.
The company conducted research with Bridgestone in 2008, according to the newspaper, to develop tires from the Russian dandelion, as well as a Southwestern shrub called guayule.
Company ranked low in terms of environmentally friendly practices
One possible reason for the switch to alternative materials in their vehicles was a poor ranking in regard to fuel economy and carbon emissions from the Environmental Protection Agency for the past few years. Ford's car models for 2008 to 2010 ranked third-worst in those categories, the paper says.
"Only about 10 to 20 percent of the emissions are tied up in manufacturing," Jim Kliesch, research director in the clean-vehicles program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the paper. "So that leaves 80 to 90 percent to operating the vehicle and creating the fuel."
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