Ford, Boeing and NU Form Nanotech Alliance

spoonyfork wrote to mention an article detailing a collaboration between Ford, Boeing and Northwestern to research how nanotechnology can improve car and plane design. From the article: "Ford hopes the alliance will help it build more fuel-efficient cars and engines that are more durable because they run cooler. The research also will focus on designing vehicles that run on alternative energy sources, such as hydrogen and electricity. Nanotechnology should allow batteries for hybrid vehicles that produce more energy while weighing less and taking up less space, Stevens said. CEO Bill Ford Jr. recently said half of the company's models will have hybrid capabilities by 2010. By making batteries and other components smaller, it opens up space for more features that consumers want in their vehicles, Stevens said. Designers will be forced to make fewer compromises when choosing materials and amenities."

Interesting what's called nanotech.

[Anonymous Coward]

I was at a conference when Revlon was listed as in the top-5 nanotech companies in the world - apparently because they deal with fine poweders or something like that.

Apparently Cuervo (yes, the tequila company) is one of the top plant biotech companies too, trying to speed up the lifecycle of whatever plant it is that makes tequila.

With enough marketing, I suppose even Microsoft could be a nano-tech company - micro & nano both mean small, don't they?

Smaller components for smaller cars

[Alain Williams]

By making batteries and other components smaller, it opens up space for more features that consumers want in their vehicles

Given the size of the typical US vehicle it has never struck me that space would be at a premium. Let us hope that this technology will be used to make smaller & more fuel efficient cars -- we all need to drive those to mitigate the causes of climate change -- especially cars made in the USA.

Re:Smaller components for smaller cars

[Anonymous Coward]

Let us hope that this technology will be used to make smaller & more fuel efficient cars

Those cars exist already and are used in the other countries. For some reason the majority of the people in the US things that bigger car means bigger penis, so they buy bigger cars. Of course, one reason is the gasoline price. If the price would be higher, people might be more willing to buy cars that are more fuel efficient. I think that only way to get people to buy smaller cars is to add more taxes to fuel.

Like this will go anywhere...

[Anonymous Coward]

I doubt this will do much for cars, because whatever they come up with will be too expensive. That's the same reason cars currently aren't being made out of titanium. If better mileage was all the car companies cared about, cars would get a few hundred mpg, but cost too much for most people to buy.

Those companies are in trouble!

[bogaboga]

Ford and Boeing are in trouble. Makes me wonder whether these companies will even be relevant in a decade's time, when this technology is expected to be big. With competition from Airbus for Boeing and Ford having been replaced by Toyota, I doubt they will be strong participants in this field. Fact is, Airbus is now the largest airplane maker and not as many people want to buy Ford's vehicles.