FORD USES RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES FOR FOCUS ELECTRIC SEATS

Ford will use recycled plastic bottles from the upcoming North America International Auto Show in Detroit and Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in the seats of its Ford Focus Electric, as the automaker found a method to use recycled plastics in the polyester fiber used in the car's seat materials.

Ford's been looking to find ways to cut its carbon footprint through either recycled or renewable materials since at least 2001, when the company started its Biomaterials and Plastics Research team. In 2007, Ford started using soy-based foam in car seats on models such as the Ford Mustang and Lincoln Navigator, and since then has used the material in components such as deflector shields, cupholder inserts and floormats. And last October, Ford said it reached an agreement with Scotts Miracle-Gro to develop a way to use material for coconut husks for plastic reinforcement.

Ford in November started taking orders for the Focus Electric, the company's first mass-produced battery-electric vehicle. The Focus Electric will have an estimated 70-mile single-charge range that's similar to the EPA rating for the Leaf, though the company said it will take about half the time to fully recharge from a 240-volt station as the Leaf, and claims that the car will get a 100 mile-per-gallon-equivalent rating from the EPA. Ford is pricing the Focus Electric starting at $39,200, giving the car an out-of-pocket cost of as low as $31,700 once the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles is factored in. That puts the Focus Electric base price at $4,000 more than the Nissan Leaf and about $10,000 more than the Mitsubishi i (sold as the i-MiEV overseas) city EV, which debuted in the U.S. last November.