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Experts wonder if aluminum F-150 gives Ford a real advantage

There's no doubt that Ford is taking a risk in producing the body of its upcoming new F-150 pickup truck in aluminum. What is up for debate, however, is whether aluminum was a wise risk to take in the first place. Wards Auto took the opportunity to poll some experts on the subject of aluminum versus steel in the automotive sector, with somewhat unsurprising results.
Richard Schultz, a project consultant at Ducker Worldwide, which bills itself as "a leading aluminum industry consultant (though they also deal in steels), suggests that the potential drawbacks to aluminum - higher costs, lower supply - aren't really impediments to the auto industry's increased acceptance of the lightweight metal.
Similarly, Randall Scheps, global automotive marketing director for Alcoa, a massive aluminum producer, counters claims that aluminum is less safe for vehicle occupants, suggesting that the use of aluminum can actually increase safety as it could potentially allow for larger vehicles with more crush space than steel.

Ford patent seeks to monitor driver health while on the road

Ford now has a patent on tech to monitor drivers' changing health behind the wheel and potentially share that information with their healthcare provider. The rather simple idea revolves around a vehicle that would have an account-based system to keep track of people. In an emergency, this technology could even contact paramedics. Ford's patent is titled Medical data acquisition and provision, and the implementation really only requires specialized software and sensors. The documents acknowledge that many people don't keep close track of themselves medically, and this could be a solution. In the company's description, the tech would only gather a person's heart rate and weight. A wireless device in the vehicle would ensure that the info is being collected on the right person. Certain thresholds could also be programmed, and drivers and their doctor could be warned if there's a problem. The solution, while intriguing, might be a little too Big Brother for those with privacy concerns. According to the patent, if a person's healthcare provider wants to take a look at the stored data, than the owner needs to grant permission first. Then, the system can send the info wirelessly. Just because it's been patented doesn't necessarily mean it will hit the market, but an increasing number of people are keeping closer tabs on their health with devices like the Fitbit band. Ford's tech could potentially find some fans among these folks.

How Ford plans to handle insurance and repair questions surrounding new aluminum-bodied F-150

Building a car out of aluminum has a number of benefits - the lighter weight allows the vehicle to be more agile, more fuel efficient, make better use of its power and be more resistant to dings and dents. The downside to the advanced construction, though, is that repairs are both challenging and expensive. That's troubling for the new, aluminum-bodied Ford F-150, because it's kind of made a name for itself as a rugged, durable work vehicle.
How will the legions of Ford buyers cope when it comes time to insure and repair their new trucks? Well, according to Ford, it's expecting a ten-percent jump in insurance costs for the aluminum-bodied F-150, although Ford's truck marketing manager, Doug Scott, was quick to point out that the F-150 is generally cheaper to insure than its competition from Ram and General Motors. "At the end of the day, that's sort of a wash," Scott told Automotive News at last week's Detroit Auto Show. "We've spent a lot of time and feel very comfortable that that's not going to be an inhibitor."
The other issue facing Ford is the distinct lack of body shops that have the training or equipment to repair aluminum-bodied vehicles. AN cites an estimate from the Automotive Service Association claiming that of the 30,000 independent body shops in the US, less than 10 percent are able to work on aluminum.