Car Review - Green Amongst Envy: Ford Takes Pb Inward In-Car Light-Green Technology

Photos past times Ulysses Ang

The tides for sure accept turned—it’s this singular idea that raced inwards my heed after turning on the TV. A few seconds of a generic daytime lather turned into a bombardment of ads; after all, what would you lot await from the state of consumerism? The ads for Cialis too Robitussin were slow to ignore, but the ones from Ford weren’t. It’s the form of auto advertizement I wasn’t accustomed to: quoting gasoline mileage too maintenance cost over horsepower too torque. The US fiscal meltdown was for sure a factor, but moreover, it’s the overall alter inwards corporate social responsibleness that’s fueling this newfound light-green initiative. And auto companies similar Ford are taking the lead.

Flexibility is a Start

The engineering scientific discipline behind flexible fuel vehicles or FFVs is zero new. Henry Ford advocated the purpose of ethanol as a substitute for gasoline early on; a fact beingness that the kickoff commercially available flex fuel vehicle was the 1908 Ford Model T. Basically, a flex fuel vehicle allows gasoline, a plant-derived alcohol (usually ethanol or methanol, but colloquially summed upward as bio-fuel), or a combination of both to burn downwards together inwards the combustion chamber. The purpose of ethanol fuel lessens the dependence on non-renewable sources of fuel such as gasoline. However, since crude oil was cheaper to produce, gasoline prevailed until the 1973 crude oil crisis when the basis i time once to a greater extent than took unwrap of ethanol.

Nowadays, aside from lessening the world’s dependence on oil, the purpose of flex fuel also improves air quality. In addition, on the manufacturing side, there’s petty change needed inwards a vehicle to arrive a flex fuel capable. In closed to cases, the cost per vehicle is fairly minimal—around US$100-US$200 ( P 5,000-P 10,000). For auto owners, the beauty alongside flex fuel vehicles is that there’s petty to distinguish it from a non-flex fuel vehicle apart from the badges. It has identical surgical operation too maintenance relieve for flex fuel vehicles having slightly poorer fuel mileage.

Ford was the kickoff companionship to answer the US government’s telephone telephone to develop cars to run on bio-fuels means dorsum inwards 1981 alongside the Escort. Since then, they’ve led the way, producing 250,000 E85-capable (85 pct ethanol, fifteen pct gasoline) per year. Currently, vehicles such as the Ford Expedition, Explorer too Club Wagon are E85 capable, piece the Focus too Escape are E20-capable.

Boosting Power too Efficiency

Aside from developing flex fuel vehicles, Ford is accelerating its programme to create to a greater extent than fuel-efficient vehicles. As such, they are investing heavily inwards novel engine engineering scientific discipline headlined past times EcoBoost. The brief behind EcoBoost is simple: develop a to a greater extent than fuel efficient drivetrain without compromising performance. 125 patents later, the results are zero brusk of impressive: to a greater extent than powerfulness too torque alongside xx pct improve fuel economic scheme too fifteen pct lesser carbon dioxide emissions.

The EcoBoost engines start its life as a regular Duratec engine treated alongside a special thermal spray to grip the high fuel pressures; after which, ii turbochargers are installed providing 12 PSI of boost. And surprisingly, through the purpose of direct injection technology, the EcoBoost tin run on exactly regular fuel (89 octanes)!

Testing a fleet of EcoBoost powered vehicles similar the Taurus SHO too the Lincoln MKT at Ford’s Dearborn Development Center; I came out impressed alongside this slice of environmentally too enthusiast friendly technology. The most noticeable affair alongside the EcoBoost is the lack of lag commonly associated alongside turbocharged engines. At total throttle, there’s tremendous amount of torque which digs you lot into the seatbacks at almost every rpm upward to its redline. The snarling banknote is as addictive too, particularly as the speeds laid upward up. For kicks, I cruised on a minute lap to bear witness EcoBoost’s real-world performance. It’s every flake as smoothen too refined as a leading European drivetrain.

Ford believes that EcoBoost is a much to a greater extent than affordable too versatile solution compared to hybrids because of the technology’s simplicity. For instance, there’s no require to acquit additional weight because of the batteries or the electrical motor. Ford is hedging their bets on EcoBoost that they’re rolling out an entire draw of engines that started alongside the 3.5-liter V6 (365 bhp, 495 Nm) inwards the Taurus SHO. The 2012 Ford Focus volition teach a 1.6-liter inline-4 practiced for 180 bhp too 244 Nm too their novel C/D-segment auto volition make goodness from a 2.0-liter alongside 200 bhp too 300 Nm. It’s fifty-fifty rumored that the Shelby GT500 volition teach an engine codenamed “Road Runner”—a 5.0-liter V8 EcoBoost engine alongside to a greater extent than than 500 bhp.

Electric is In (Again)

Little introduction is needed virtually gasoline-electric hybrid technology. It was too notwithstanding is a stunning slice of automotive engineering scientific discipline popularized past times the Toyota Prius. Ford, seeing the potential of this fuel saving engineering scientific discipline got into the deed as shortly as possible too entered alongside a patent sharing understanding alongside Toyota inwards 2004. The kickoff fruit of this understanding was also the kickoff hybrid sport utility vehicle—the Escape Hybrid. However, Ford went a measuring farther past times making the Escape Hybrid a flexible fuel vehicle, capable of running on E85. Since then, Ford has introduced other hybrid vehicles including the Motor Trend too North American Car of the Year, the Ford Fusion Hybrid.

Though Ford sees EcoBoost as an splendid brusk term solution to improve efficiency too cut back CO2 emissions, Ford also sees how hybrid cars alongside plug-in capability tin drastically cut back emissions fifty-fifty further. Ford is at nowadays examining how plug-in hybrids tin interact alongside the entire electrical grid. They promise that i day, plug-in hybrids volition non only describe powerfulness from the electrical grid, but volition hold out able to top on excess powerfulness dorsum to the grid. Currently, Ford is experimenting on this concept past times converting a fleet of its Ford Escape Hybrid into plug-in hybrids. This revised Escape tin at nowadays drive upward to 48 kilometers purely on battery powerfulness alone, piece its effects on the powerfulness grid is beingness studied past times Southern California Edison Corporation.

Ford also experimented on pure electrical vehicles alongside the Think City auto kickoff too so a fleet of Ranger EVs for the US postal service. The Ford Focus RV volition accept a attain of virtually 160 kilometers too tin hold out charged on a measure 110-volt draw of piece of work solid outlet.

The Cleanest of Them All

Sharp-eyed James Bond fans volition forthwith spot a fleet of hydrogen-powered Edge inwards the movie, Quantum of Solace. At the time, most idea of them as only stickered versions of the regular Edge, but that’s far from the truth. In reality, these Ford Edge are powered past times Ford’s HySeries Drive which is a hydrogen fuel cell-electric vehicle hybrid. It’s the latest inwards a draw of experimental vehicles developed past times Ford to run on hydrogen.

The same Edge HySeries albeit alongside a dissimilar paintjob was made available for the media to drive. Starting on hydrogen power, this experimental Edge forthwith sounded something direct out of a scientific discipline fiction movie. It’s completely placidity at idle too i time the speeds laid upward up, it’s replaced past times the unmistakable purr of an electrical powerfulness too zero more. It’s mighty fast too, reaching upward to 100 km/h inwards no time. And alongside a touching of a button, the Edge HySeries tin switch to stored electrical loose energy inwards its lithium-ion batteries. The switch sequence required a duet of seconds, but was unobtrusive relieve for closed to dash indicators.

Hydrogen is said to hold out the fuel of the hereafter because of its natural abundance as good as its cleanliness. The term ‘fuel cell’ comes from the electrochemical prison theater cellular telephone inwards the fuel tank that produces the electricity. Power is generated through a reaction triggered inwards the presence of an electrolyte betwixt the fuel (hydrogen) too an oxidant (oxygen from the air). The reactants menstruum into the prison theater cellular telephone too the by-products (water vapor) flows out of it.

Unlike conventional batteries that purpose stored electrical energy, hydrogen fuel cells eat reactants from an external source. This presents a huge challenge for hydrogen fuel prison theater cellular telephone vehicles because of the require of novel refueling infrastructure. In fact, the Obama Administration cutting off funds for the evolution of fuel prison theater cellular telephone vehicles because they don’t encounter hydrogen fuel prison theater cellular telephone vehicles to hold out practical inwards the adjacent 10-20 years.

However, this hasn’t stopped Ford from demonstrating hydrogen fuel prison theater cellular telephone vehicles. They encounter the benefits of fuel prison theater cellular telephone vehicles inwards reducing air pollution as good as audio pollution, alongside favorable impacts upon respiratory wellness as well. As early as 2006, Ford demonstrated its fuel prison theater cellular telephone engineering scientific discipline alongside a 174 horsepower Explorer alongside a hydrogen fuel prison theater cellular telephone capable of traveling 563 kilometers—the farthest for a fuel prison theater cellular telephone vehicle so far.

Clean too Green

Ford Motor Company, i time a poster nipper for conspicuous fuel consumption has turned 180 degrees too is at nowadays at the forefront of the fuel efficiency game. It’s the most fuel-efficient American auto companionship alongside thirteen vehicles having a fuel mileage of 12.75 km/L or better. And this is exactly the start.

They accept exactly announced that it volition accelerate plans to create to a greater extent than fuel-efficient vehicles, converting 3 truck too SUV plants for modest auto production. For example, the Ford Fiesta—once a European only subcompact auto is at nowadays available for the North American too Asia-Pacific markets. At the most extreme terminate is the Fiesta ECOnetic which achieves 27.03 km/L inwards European tests. But fifty-fifty the to a greater extent than regular versions of the Fiesta tin hand splendid mileage thank you lot to the purpose of engineering scientific discipline such as PowerShift—the 6-speed dual clutch automatic. Ford is also using advanced aerodynamic aids such as active engine shutters on hereafter models similar the 2012 Focus which volition improve its fuel mileage fifty-fifty further. Ford is also challenging the adjacent generation of auto designers from several universities to come upward out alongside their auto of the future: a simple, durable, lightweight too fuel-efficient vehicle alongside a target cost of exactly US$ 7,000 ( P 350,000). The resulting auto is for sure a lid tip to the i that started it all over a century ago: the 2015 Model T Concept.