Ford EcoSport's Parcel Shelf Made of Recycled Paper, Even Stronger Than Steel

Perhaps the only time many of us pay a lot of attention to the parcel shelf in our vehicles is when we're trading our vehicle in, and trying to remember where we hid it away when we originally took it out so we could get the dog in the back. But when it comes to the parcel shelf in the new Ford EcoSport, it really does deserve greater respect. And that's because not only is it made from recycled paper and constructed in a manner inspired by bees, but also because it's so incredibly strong as a result.

The "Honeycomb Shelf" as Ford calls the new EcoSport's parcel shelf, is actually a lightweight, secret trunk shelf capable supporting up to 100 times its own weight, which is a strength-to-weight-ratio that's even stronger than steel. The shelf was designed to keep valuables that may be fragile hidden away from prying eyes, but the fact it can support a load of up to 300 kg is what's really staggering about this otherwise humble part of the new EcoSport. Despite only weighing-in itself at 3kg, the shelf can handle more than the weight of three average adult men. And it appears the incredible strength was achieved with inspiration from honey bees.

Bettina Veith, the Ford EcoSport's assistant chief engineer, explains, "Nature is like one big innovation laboratory, and from bees to termites to beavers, animals are some of the world's best engineers. The honeycomb's ability to deliver strength without adding weight has already been put to good use in extreme applications like space rockets, jet planes and supercars, making it the natural choice to provide a super-strong platform for the EcoSport's [trunk] space."

The "Honeycomb Shelf" is constructed by sandwiching a layer of honeycomb-like cells made from recycled paper and water-based glue between a couple of layers of light but durable fiberglass. As well as its amazing strength, the lightweight solution also makes a small but useful contribution to improving the fuel efficiency of the new EcoSport.

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