Ford, General Motors and Stellantis Work to Reduce Their
Environmental Footprint

Ford, General Motors and Stellantis are taking a comprehensive, all-inclusive approach to “going green”. Combining innovation, engineering and ingenuity, the U.S. automakers have implemented environmentally friendly measures from the start of production, to the final sale of the vehicle.

Not only have the automakers designed eco-friendly, fuel-efficient vehicles, but they have also implemented factory-standards to further minimize their total environmental footprint. From reducing energy consumption and water usage, to recycling vehicle manufacturing waste, to building eco-friendly facilities, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis are working to be responsible stewards of the environment.

To name just a few examples, General Motors is repurposing used wood pallets into wood beams for the homebuilding industry. Further, General Motors has transformed the grounds of their Grand Blanc, Michigan Customer Care and Aftersales Headquarters into a wildlife habitat, certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council. In constructing the habitat, they used recycled materials such as Chevrolet Volt battery covers, converted into duck nesting boxes.

Ford has aimed to reduce their footprint by extensively using recycled materials in their vehicle production. The seat fabric on the Ford Fusion is made from recycled water bottles, and post-consumer recycled nylon is used in vehicle components, such as engine fans, HVAC temperature valves, engine covers, cam covers and carbon canisters. Ford also uses soy oil in the production of the seat foam for all of the company’s North American vehicles.

Stellantis has made extensive corporate efforts to encourage its dealer-network to put in place high environmental standards for their facilities. The company has established a new Dealer ECO (Environmentally Conscious Operations) Program, to recognize dealers that demonstrate eco-friendly practices. Among other implementations, some dealerships have installed extensive solar-panel systems and rainwater collection systems, to lower their overall environmental footprint.

The American Auto Industry is doing its part to innovate and reliably and dependably “go green.”

 

  • Lincoln to double production of MKZ Hybrid

    Ford Motor Co. will double production of its MKZ Hybrid sedan for the 2014 model year, a top executive said this week.

    Forty percent of MKZ production will be dedicated to building the hybrid model, said Raj Nair, Ford’s group vice president of global product development, at the automaker’s Dearborn campus on Tuesday.

    That’s double the 20 percent production mix from the 2013 model year, the first year for the revamped luxury sedan.


     

  • GM Outlines Progress on Environmental Priorities

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    The report covers energy, emissions, waste reduction and other areas that drive long-term sustainability. 

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    DETROIT – OnStar announced today a project with TimberRock Energy Solutions, Inc. that uses aggregation software and solar charging canopies with integrated storage to manage the flow of solar power to benefit the electric grid. It will be the first “real-world” use of OnStar’s Smart Grid solutions.

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    These standards, which will nearly double America’s light duty vehicle fuel efficiency to 54.5 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2025, are one of the single largest actions taken to date by the Obama Administration, and will result in an estimated 12 billion barrels of oil saved, 6 billion fewer tons of carbon dioxide, and as BlueGreen Alliance published in a landmark report last year, more than 570,000 jobs created by 2030 in the auto industry and throughout the U.S. economy.

  • GM promises higher-mileage vehicles, emissions cuts

    DETROIT — General Motors pledged Thursday to double its number of models that get at least 40 miles per gallon on the highway by 2017 and said it would cut the emissions its U.S. vehicles produce 15% by 2016.

    The efforts are part of GM's broader push to become a more environmentally sustainable company. The company surprised environmental groups earlier this year when it became the first automaker to sign a declaration asserting that going green is good for business.