Ford, partners unveil projects to improve cars' efficiency Ford, partners employ new technology in 2 projects

An experimental version of the Ford Fusion is built with ultra-light materials cut the car's weight by 23 percent. An experimental version of the Ford Fusion is built with ultra-light materials cut the car's weight by 23 percent. Photo: Kevin N. Hume, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Kevin N. Hume, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Ford, partners unveil projects to improve cars' efficiency 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Ideas that helped revolutionize personal electronics and the aerospace industry could dramatically improve the mileage of cars, if two research projects unveiled by Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday bear fruit.

At an event in San Francisco, the automaker announced a partnership with Samsung SDI to take a pair of technologies used in hybrid cars - lithium-ion batteries and regenerative brakes - and apply them to other vehicles.

Ford executives also showed off an experimental version of the company's popular Fusion midsize sedan built with ultra-light materials that, together, cut the car's weight by 23 percent.

The concept car and the Samsung partnership both have the potential to cut down on gasoline use as well as the global warming emissions that come from burning fossil fuels.

"This goes straight to the heart of a better environment, lower CO{-2} emissions, better economy," said Kumar Galhotra, Ford's vice president of engineering, at an event in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood. "And we do it while providing features people want."

A base model 2014 Fusion, for example gets 28 miles per gallon, in combined city and freeway driving. The lighter version, Galhotra said, should get the same mileage as the much smaller Ford Fiesta - about 37 mpg, an improvement of 34 percent. Carbon fiber forms the wheels, seats and dashboard. The windshield and door windows are thin, chemically treated glass. The interior trim is made of plastic foam.

"This is a great research platform for us," Galhotra said. "All these technologies can then start migrating to our other vehicles."

Found in both hybrids and electric cars, regenerative braking captures some of the kinetic energy that would otherwise be lost when a car brakes and converts that energy to electricity for storage. Ford and Samsung are developing a version that would work in cars outfitted with two batteries - one lead-acid, the other lithium-ion. Most cars run on lead-acid batteries, while electric cars and hybrids typically use lithium-ion, the same technology found in cell phones and laptop computers.

Ford already has taken one concept from hybrid cars and applied it to those with conventional gas-burning engines. The company's "auto start-stop" technology temporarily shuts off the engine when the car stops, restarting it when the driver steps off the brake and presses the accelerator.

The stop-start system improves fuel efficiency by about 2 to 3 percent, Galhotra said. But the combination of dual batteries and regenerative braking could boost efficiency a total of 8 to 10 percent. The smaller, lighter lithium-ion battery would be used to run the car's radio, GPS and other systems while the car is stopped, easing the strain on the lead acid battery.

Mike O'Sullivan, vice president of automotive battery systems for Samsung SDI North America, said his company has cut the weight of its lithium-ion batteries in half while doubling the energy density. Samsung SDI is an affiliate of Samsung Group, the consumer electronics giant.

"There is a massive convergence between consumer products and automotive technology," O'Sullivan said.