Automotive News has learned that GM will start using carbon fiber reinforced plastics in their beds in order to shed weight fast.

It’s hard to imagine any of the big three without a full-sized truck in their lineup. So, in a bid to make their trucks lean and green, according to Auto News on some insider information they dropped earlier yesterday (Dec. 7, 2017), they’re going to try and make carbon fiber truck beds a thing. With voluntary pledges to a higher CAFE standard and goals of getting fleet MPG to around 54 by 2025, the big three are taking drastic measures to keep their customer’s satisfied with large vehicles all while doing as much as they can to trim down their worst offenders, large trucks.

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While Ford has fully embraced offering a turbo engine in their truck lineup to boost their most fuel-efficient truck equipped with a 2.7L V6 EcoBoost to a relatively good 25 MPG on the highway, GM’s Ecotec 4300 V6 in the Silverado can only muster 24 MPG while offering less performance. If GM can’t beat Ford at the pump under the hood, they’re turning to trimming weight, which can offer dividends in savings.

Back in 2011, GM partnered with Japan-based Teijin Limited on a special carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic which is considerably stronger and lighter than steel or aluminum. According to some estimates, carbon fiber alone can save up to 30 percent of weight when compared to its aluminum counterpart. So while many people might throw in their two cent’s on Ford’s switch to an aluminum bed, they’ve yet to see just how far truck manufacturers will go in regards to materials to make their trucks as trim as possible.

According to Auto News, GM will introduce these CFRP beds within the next two years only on premium trim levels of their truck. If the economies of scale work out and they get the process a bit cheaper than it currently will cost, perhaps GM can offer it on their base trim Silverado’s.

Big selling points for trucks are performance and utility. I’ll be keen to see just how capable these new truck beds will be compared to their good ol’ steel counterparts.

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