Try up to 20 million. That’s enough to make 30,000 F-150 bodies.
Using aluminum to shave body weight makes the new F-150 more fuel-efficient. With two-wheel drive and the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 under its hood, the half-ton can cover an EPA-estimated 26 miles on the highway on one gallon of gas. Closed loop recycling makes Ford’s stamping facility green in more ways than one. Not only is it saving scrap materials, but it’s also not pumping out 95 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions that are generated by primary aluminum production. It’s saving significant amounts of energy and water at the same time, too.
Currently, as much as 40 percent of a typical aluminum coil is turned into scrap in the stamping process for the F-150. Perhaps as Ford becomes even more skilled with using the material over time it – and its suppliers – will find ways to work with it more efficiently and reduce scrap in the first place. The 2017 Super Duty and Raptor will give the Blue Oval plenty more opportunities to work with and learn about aluminum on a massive scale.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
