Ford’s commitment to the battery powered vehicle has not the only “green” news from the blue oval as it reaffirmed its EcoNetic range with two models now under the magic 100g/km of CO2 threshold. We know all about the latest generation Ford Fiesta EcoNetic with it’s 98g/km of CO2 being one of the most frugal passenger cars on British roads, now Ford has announced that new for 2010 will be a revised Ford Focus EcoNetic with the potential for this larger car breaking the 100g/km barrier for the first time (99g/km) thanks to an optional Start/Stop engine system, along with a whole host of other economy-inducing technologies.
To make matters slightly more complicated the manufacturer has announced two versions of the Focus EcoNetic – the only difference being one has the Start/Stop technology while the other does with out; however the latter fails to break the 100g/km barrier, instead achieving a not quiet as special 104g/km of CO2. Fuel economy on either model is impressive, either 74.2mpg or 70.6mpg depending on that Start/Stop function.
“To achieve these impressive figures, we combined the proven approach of the original Focus ECOnetic model with even more detail improvements and all-new technologies,” said Dr. Thilo Seibert, Manager CO2 Technologies for Ford of Europe. “The new Focus ECOnetic is particularly significant as it paves the way for some of these technologies to be implemented into our core vehicle series in the near future.”
Regardless of whether you opt for the Start/Stop technology of not, the car also features a couple of notable firsts for Ford in Europe. Firstly, seen across many green cars the company has introduced a regenerative energy charging braking system, helping to capture a use energy lost in the braking process. While secondly the Focus EcoNetic features Low Tension FEAD (Front End Accessory Drive).
For those unfamiliar with FEAD, Ford’s new system essentially allows for a lower tension drive belt which in turn means that there is less friction in the system, and less friction means increased efficiency.
At the heart of the 2010 car is the same, proven 109 PS (80 kW) 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi engine with standard coated Diesel Particulate Filter (cDPF) as seen in the previous model. Although it hasn’t stopped the carmaker tweaking several components of the unit to improve its efficiency further, while the five-speed manual gearbox has also benefited from gearing ratio alterations.
Engineering changes aren’t the only things different about the 2010 Ford Focus, it’s widely known that altering a person’s way of driving can have a dramatic effect on fuel consumption and it is with this in mind that Ford has also announced the introduction of an onboard “driving school”.
“At Ford we have a great deal of experience in the techniques of ‘Eco-driving’ used to achieve maximum real-world fuel economy,” Dr. Seibert explained. “The new Ford Eco Mode system is a new software application that is added to the instrument cluster to give the driver useable and realistic Eco-driving advice.”
Known as Ford Eco Mode, the green driving aid is a software based application designed to teach the driver the optimum way to drive the frugally. Purely informational the system monitors driver performance across a number of key parameters, such as gear shifting, anticipation (driving as consistently and smoothly as possible) and motorway driving (driving with the most efficient speed on motorways and country roads) and creates a score for the driver along with hints and tips to improve fuel efficiency.
“Ford Eco Mode really helps you to become an Eco-driver,” Dr. Seibert noted. “We have been amazed by the positive feedback on the system by customers in early tests. Customers have told us that they actively enjoyed exploring a new and very contemporary discipline: saving fuel!”
