Where we stand: January, 2012
The second largest automotive company in the US and fifth largest in the world, Ford has not been slow to join the green car race. Having been the innovator in large scale manufacturing of cars and large scale management of an industrial workforce, it is now looking to bring that forward thinking to a new generation of environmentally friendly vehicles.
Despite seeing its worldwide unit volume drop significantly during the automotive crisis, Ford is now enjoying a massive resurgence in sales (see article) and its brand of hybrid cars, electric cars and plug-in hybrid cars appear to be stabilising its future.
Ford today
Ford’s environmental efforts have seen the company accelerate its efforts to produce more fuel efficient vehicles. It is also concentrating on downsizing having announced plans to convert three of its SUV and truck plants in the USA for the production of small cars.
In Europe, its fuel efficiency efforts have focused on the ECOnetic programme which improves on existing technology to offer higher fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions. They use the lower consuming TDCi Duratorq diesel engines, with improved aerodynamics, and lower rolling resistance and now the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic is the lowest emitting mass produced car in Europe at 95g/km; while the new Ford Focus ECOnetic (see article) promises to have better fuel consumption than the likes of the Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion and the Toyota Prius. The ECOnetic range is not currently available in North America due to what is perceived as lower demand – however, Ford has introduced several EcoBoost engines with an emphasis on improved fuel economy (see article).
Ford has also trialled several alternative fuels. For example, there are numerous flexible fuel models available in Brazil, some of which are able to run on E100, including: the Ford EcoSport, the Ford Focus, Ford Fiesta, Ford Ka and Ford Courier. Meanwhile, there are also flexible fuel models available in North America and Europe that are able to run on E85 such as: the Ford F-150, Ford Crown Victoria, Ford C-MAX, Ford Focus, Ford Mondeo, Ford S-MAX, Ford Galaxy, Ford Ranger, Ford Explorer, Ford Taurus, Ford Expedition and the Ford Fusion.
In terms of hybrid cars, Ford has access to hybrid technology patented by Toyota and in exchange Ford licensed some of its patents to Toyota, a partnership that was expanded on for SUVs and light trucks in 2011 (see article). In 2005, it introduced the Ford Escape Hybrid in the USA, making it the first hybrid electric SUV on the market, and the first with a flexible fuel capability to run on E85. It was followed in 2006 by a mirror model under the Mercury brand in the form of the Mercury Mariner Hybrid. From 2009, Ford expanded its hybrid car line-up with the Ford Fusion Hybrid/Mercury Milan Hybrid; and this was followed in 2010 by the introduction of the Ford Edge Hybrid/Lincoln MKX Hybrid.
Its efforts in the electric car sector go back even further with the Think City experiment that ended with Ford ordering for the cars to be repossessed and destroyed. However, it has recently refocused its efforts on electric vehicles with the introduction of the Ford Transit Connect Electric Vehicle (see article) and the Ford Focus Electric Vehicle (see article). The latter is based on a next generation Focus converted with an electric propulsion system from Magna International. It has a maximum range of 100miles and a top speed of around 75mph and has also been involved in the UK Government’s zero carbon vehicle fleet programme, sponsored by the Technology Strategy Board.
As for hydrogen cars, you have to look back to 2006 to when Ford showcased a hydrogen fuel cell version of its Explorer SUV. It had a notable range of 350miles, the furthest for any fuel cell vehicle at the time – however, it has yet to expand on its hydrogen offerings.
Greenest models on sale:
The following are the greenest models of all new Ford cars available now in the UK:
Ford C-MAX – Greenest Model: 1.6litre TDCi Duratorq diesel (115PS) with combined fuel consumption of 61.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 119g/km.
Ford Fiesta – Greenest Model: 1.6litre TDCi Duratorq diesel (with diesel particulate filter) with combined fuel consumption of 78.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 95g/km.
Ford Focus – Greenest Model: 1.6litre TDCi Duratorq diesel ECOnetic (109PS) with combined fuel consumption of 74.2mpg and CO2 emissions of 99g/km.
Ford Fusion – Greenest Model: 1.4i Duratec petrol (manual transmission) with combined fuel consumption of 42.8mpg and CO2 emissions of 154g/km.
Ford Galaxy – Greenest Model: 1.6litre TDCi Duratorq diesel with start/stop (115PS) with combined fuel consumption of 54.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 139g/km.
Ford Grand C-MAX – Greenest Model: 1.6litre TDCi Duratorq diesel (115PS) with combined fuel consumption of 57.7mpg and CO2 emissions of 129g/km.
Ford Ka – Greenest Model: 1.3litre TDCi Duratorq diesel (75PS) with combined fuel consumption of 68.9mpg and CO2 emissions of 109g/km.
Ford Kuga – Greenest Model: 2.0litre TDCi Duratorq diesel 4×2 with combined fuel consumption of 47.9mpg and CO2 emissions of 156g/km.
Ford Mondeo – Greenest Model: 1.6litre TDCi Duratorq diesel start/stop (115PS) with combined fuel consumption of 65.6mpg and CO2 emissions of 114g/km.
Ford S-MAX – Greenest Model: 1.6litre DV6 TDCi start/stop (115PS) with combined fuel consumption of 54.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 139g/km.
Ford tomorrow:
With the Ford Focus EV and Ford Transit Connect EV now taking to the road, what can we look forward to from Ford in the years to come? Here are some of its plans:
- Ford C-MAX Energi: A plug-in hybrid vehicle that is scheduled to be introduced in the autumn of 2012 in North America and in 2013 in Europe. It is viewed as a potential challenger to the Chevrolet Volt.
- Ford EVOS: Introduced at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show (see article), the Ford EVOS Concept is a four-door, four-seat concept with the same plug-in hybrid powertrain used in the C-MAX Energi. It is said to represent a new design direction for the company though it is the typical length of a C-segment car.
