Tag Archives: Ford
Ford Chooses LG
Ford’s quest to produce many more fuel efficient vehicles is unfolding before our eyes as the subcompact Fiesta gradually makes its way to showrooms across the United States. Come this fall, the next generation Ford Focus will go into production with a pure electric version arriving in 2011. In 2012, Ford will introduce a pair of new hybrid models and roll out a plug-in hybrid vehicle. (more…)
First car to achieve over 300 horsepower while achieving over 30 miles per gallon
Ford has announced the official fuel economy numbers for the 2011 Mustang V6, and in doing so stakes a claim to producing the world’s first car to achieve over 300 horsepower while achieving over 30 miles per gallon. The 2011 Mustang 3.7-liter V6 with six-speed automatic is officially rated at 305 hp and 31 highway miles per gallon.
When Ford first made the claim that they intended to introduce vehicles that were leaders in fuel economy in every segment moving forward, the world largely dismissed the suggestion as nothing more than typical puffery by executives. Ford then introduced the 2010 Ford Fusion – with the most fuel efficient four and six-cylinder engines, as well as the most fuel efficient hybrid offering in the class. Still, the Fusion was nothing more than a single example – until the 2011 Ford Fiesta numbers were released and put it several miles per gallon above anything currently in the class – with 40 miles per gallon highway on Fiesta SFE.
Then Ford put the world on its heels when it said that the 2011 Mustang V6 would have “expected” 30 miles per gallon – and tonight Ford announced that not only will the V6 Mustang achieve 30 mpg highway when equipped with a six-speed manual, but it will belt out 31 mpg highway when equipped with a new six-speed automatic transmission. Ford’s confirmation of an EPA-rated 31 highway mpg to go with the 305 horsepower rating makes the 2011 Mustang the most fuel efficient car ever made with over 300 hp.
“The Mustang engineering team aimed high and, through hard work, achieved fuel economy numbers that elevate Mustang into a class by itself,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president, global product development.
Fuel economy figures broken down
Both the manual and automatic Mustang will achieve a rating of 19 city mpg, for a combined rating of 24.5 mpg for the manual and 25 mpg for the automatic. Ford says that it was able to achieve these historic numbers through a combination of external aerodynamic changes to the vehicle, in addition to significant efforts to optimize efficiency within the engine and the rest of the drivetrain.
Ford’s new 3.7-liter V6
For 2011 Ford ditches the long in the tooth 4.0 SOHC V6 in place of a more powerful, and significantly more fuel efficient 3.7-liter Ti-VCT all-aluminum DOHC V6. In simpler terms, the engine features lightweight aluminum as opposed to an iron block for weights savings, twin independent variable camshaft timing to allow for adjustments to the valvetrain in microseconds. Ford also made numerous minor tweaks, such as further polishing internal components of the engine for reduced drag and engine wear, which results in boosted power and fuel economy.
The technology behind the fuel economy
Outside of aerodynamic and engine changes, Ford also deployed its newest technology in power steering – EPAS, or electric power assist steering. EPAS utilizes an electric motor to operate power steering, effectively reducing the constant drag on the engine associated with traditional hydraulic power steering. Ford says EPAS typically provides for a one percent increase in fuel economy, in addition to a scalable steering input dynamic that minimizes the effort requires when maneuvering the vehicle at lower speeds, and normalizes when the vehicle reaches higher speeds to reduce the chance of fast reaction induced oversteer.
Six-speeds for all
Another key aspect to Ford’s bumps in fuel economy can be found in the all-new six-speed transmissions. “Advanced powertrains like our Ti-VCT V-6 and six-speed automatic really speak to the future of Mustang,” says Barb Samardzich, Ford vice president of global powertrain engineering. “We’ve proven that, using technology, Ford can deliver both power and fuel economy.”
Ford also recently announced a $155 million investment into its Cleveland engine plant in order to produce the V6 that will power the Mustang V6.
The Ford all-electric vehicle – Transit Connect Electric
Ford Motor Co.’s first all-electric vehicle made its Los Angeles debut this week at the Petersen Automotive Museum, a fitting locale for a manufacturer to take a successful product from its present lineup and push it into the future.
The electric version of a light-duty cargo van that has been available globally since 2003 and has sold more than 600,000 units, the Transit Connect Electric is the first of four electrified vehicles the Detroit manufacturer plans to bring to market by 2012. The Ford Focus Electric passenger car is due out next year; plug-in and next-generation hybrids should be available in two years.
Ford Transit All electric Van
Despite the public’s clamor for an all-electric passenger car, Ford decided to debut its lithium-ion-powered technology with a fleet vehicle whose corporate and government users typically drive them about 40 miles a day, said Praveen Cherian, Ford program manager for the Transit Connect Electric.
That’s well within the 80-mile maximum that a Transit Connect can reach on a single charge, he said, allowing the vehicle to recharge at the owner’s on-site parking facilities.
“Fleets are more ideal for these applications because they have a predetermined fixed route and don’t have to depend on infrastructure outside the home station to recharge their batteries,” Cherian said.
Production of the Transit Connect Electric will begin in the fourth quarter.
Ford has yet to set a price for the electric cargo van, whose charging time is six to eight hours at an estimated cost of $300 annually, depending on local utility rates.
The gasoline-powered version costs $21,000 and gets about 25 miles per gallon; the average annual fuel cost is about $1,500, Cherian said.
The weight of the van’s batteries reduces its payload by about a third, but the electric version has the same 135 cubic feet of cargo volume and a 39-foot turning radius as its internal-combustion inspiration.
It’s what makes it move that’s different. There’s an AC induction motor instead of a 2-liter, inline-4 engine and a liquid-cooled, 28-kilowatt-hour battery pack mounted under the floor instead of a gas tank.
“It’s almost like the platform was designed in 2003 with an electric vehicle in mind,” Cherian said.
The dashboard controls look very much like those in a traditional car, with gauges for motor temperature and speed; there are additional displays for remaining battery life and range.
Both the brakes and the accelerator pedal incorporate regenerative technologies that extend the vehicle’s range by recharging the battery when the vehicle is slowing down.
The Transit Connect Electric’s battery cells are similar to those used in Ford’s Escape plug-in fleet, cells for which Ford has accumulated 250,000 miles of test time, Cherian said. The all-electric powertrain is made by Azure Dynamics, the same company that has been upfitting Ford’s E450 chassis with its balanced hybrid power pack technologies.
The rolling chassis will be built at a Ford plant in Turkey and upfitted by Azure Dynamics at an as-yet-unannounced Michigan assembly plant. Ford plans to make 1,000 units in 2011, adjusting its production numbers to “what the market will accept,” Cherian said.
Ford sells about 100,000 trucks to U.S. fleet customers each year, including AT&T, Best Buy, United Parcel Service and the United States Postal Service.
According to Cherian, “We hope to leverage those same customers with the Transit Connect Electric.”
susan.carpenter @latimes.com