Recharge Wrap-up: Ford 1.0L EcoBoost a hit in Europe; Build a tiny inverter, win $1 million
Mon, Aug 11 2014
When lithium-ion battery packs are retired from the road, remanufacturing, repurposing, and recycling are worthwhile options, according to a study by Mineta Transportation Institute. The study included a cost-benefit analysis of those three options, and found remanufacturing to be the best route. To get the most out of them, batteries should be tested and have their damaged cells replaced then put back to use. Repurposing is the second best option, using the remaining available charge for something besides cars. Recycling on its own isn't profitable, but it could make economic sense with "increased technological breakthroughs." Learn more at Recycling International or download the report here.
A smaller inverter for EVs can win you $1 million. The Little Box Challenge is an open competition to build a power inverter with a density of at least 50 watts per cubic inch. Google and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) are offering the hefty prize to the team that builds the inverter with the highest power density within an enclosed volume of 40 cubic inches. Teams must register by September 30. Read more at Green Car Congress or learn more at the Little Box Challenge website.
1.0-Litre EcoBoost Now Powers 1 in 5 New Fords in Europe; Acclaimed 3-Pot is Europe's Top Turbocharged Petrol Engine
- One in five all-new Ford vehicles sold in Europe in first half of 2014 were equipped with the 1.0-litre EcoBoost; customers opt for 1.0-litre in a third of Focus and Fiesta cars
- Ford's fuel-efficient and surprisingly powerful 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is Europe's best-selling turbocharged petrol engine
- Compared with the first six months of 2013, Ford this year sold 15 per cent more vehicles equipped with 1.0-litre EcoBoost
- The 1.0-litre EcoBoost is the first engine ever to win International Engine of the Year three times running
- Turbocharger spins at almost twice the rpm of the turbochargers powering F1 race car engines – more than 4,000 times per second
COLOGNE, Germany, Aug. 6, 2014 – Fresh from an unprecedented third successive International Engine of the Year award, Ford's small yet surprisingly powerful 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is Europe's best-selling turbocharged petrol engine for the first six months of the year, according to Ford figures.
So far this year, one in every five vehicles Ford sold in Europe was equipped with a 1.0-litre EcoBoost,* the engine block of which is small enough to fit on a sheet of A4 paper.
From January through June 2014, Ford sold approximately 120,000 1.0-litre EcoBoost vehicles, compared with 104,000 during the first six months of 2013 – an increase of more than 15 per cent. For the first half of 2014, 1.0-litre EcoBoost models made up 47 per cent of all B-MAX multi-activity vehicles sold, 33 per cent of Focus sales, and 30 per cent of Fiesta sales.**
"Customers are clearly enjoying the benefits from a small engine that offers great fuel efficiency with no compromise to refinement or performance," said Barb Samardzich, chief operating officer, Ford of Europe. "The range of models offering the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine will rise to 11 when the all-new Mondeo is launched in the coming months, and the new 140 PS version in the Fiesta Red Edition and Black Edition shows there is even more potential."
The 1.0-litre EcoBoost was in June again named the 2014 International Engine of the Year for its drivability, performance, economy, refinement and technology – fighting off competition from premium brands and supercars.
"This year's competition was the fiercest yet, but the 1.0-litre EcoBoost continues to stand out for all the right reasons – great refinement, surprising flexibility and excellent efficiency," said Dean Slavnich, co-chairman of the 16th International Engine of the Year awards and editor of Engine Technology International magazine, who presented the award. "The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is one of the finest examples of powertrain engineering."
The engine has now won 13 major awards. In addition to collecting seven International Engine of the Year awards in three years – including Best New Engine in 2012 – the 1.0-litre EcoBoost also has been awarded the International Paul Pietsch Award 2013 for technological innovation in Germany; the Dewar Trophy from the Royal Automobile Club in Great Britain; and in the U.S., the Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics magazine. Ford also is the first automaker to win a Ward's 10 Best Engines trophy for a three-cylinder engine.
Launched in Europe in 2012 in Ford Focus, the 1.0-litre EcoBoost is also now available for Fiesta, B-MAX, EcoSport, C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, Tourneo Connect, Tourneo Courier, Transit Connect and Transit Courier.
Already available with 100 PS and 125 PS, Ford recently debuted a new 140 PS version of Europe's best-selling sub-1.0-litre the engine in the new Fiesta Red Edition and Fiesta Black Edition models; the most powerful volume production 1.0-litre road cars ever, achieving 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 9 seconds, a top speed of 201 km/h (125 mph) and delivering 4.5 l/100 km (62.8 mpg) and 104 g/km CO2. ***
More than 200 engineers and designers from Ford's research and development centres in Aachen and Merkenich, Germany, and Dagenham and Dunton, U.K., spent more than five million hours developing the three cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost.
The engine's compact, low-inertia turbocharger spins at up to 248,000 rpm – more than 4,000 times per second and almost twice the maximum rpm of the turbochargers powering 2014 F1 race car engines. The 140 PS 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine's turbocharger delivers 1.6 bar (24 psi) of boost pressure. Peak firing pressure of 124 bar (1,800 psi) equates to a five-tonne African elephant standing on the piston.
"Setting a new global benchmark in powertrain engineering, this 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is proving a big success with the judges that matter most – our customers," said Samardzich.
The engine has proved a firm favourite in the Netherlands where so far this year it has accounted for 38 per cent of all Ford's sold; while 35 per cent of customers in Denmark have specified 1.0-litre models, as have 32 per cent of customers in Switzerland. Worldwide it is now available in 72 countries.
# # #
* Ford Sales Reporting figures. Ford's 20 European main markets are Austria, Belgium, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
** JATO Dynamics results are based on information provided by JATO Consult, the company's bespoke consulting service. Figures are based on 30 European countries. For more information please visit www.jato.com.
*** The declared fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are measured according to the technical requirements and specifications of the European Regulations (EC) 715/2007 and (EC) 692/2008 as last amended. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are specified for a vehicle variant and not for a single car. The applied standard test procedure enables comparison between different vehicle types and different manufacturers. In addition to the fuel efficiency of a car, driving behaviour as well as other non-technical factors play a role in determining a car's fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. CO2 is the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Results in MPG also correspond to this European drive cycle and are stated in imperial gallons. The results may differ from fuel economy figures in other regions of the world due to the different drive cycles and regulations used in those markets.
- One in five all-new Ford vehicles sold in Europe in first half of 2014 were equipped with the 1.0-litre EcoBoost; customers opt for 1.0-litre in a third of Focus and Fiesta cars
- Ford's fuel-efficient and surprisingly powerful 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is Europe's best-selling turbocharged petrol engine
- Compared with the first six months of 2013, Ford this year sold 15 per cent more vehicles equipped with 1.0-litre EcoBoost
- The 1.0-litre EcoBoost is the first engine ever to win International Engine of the Year three times running
- Turbocharger spins at almost twice the rpm of the turbochargers powering F1 race car engines – more than 4,000 times per second
COLOGNE, Germany, Aug. 6, 2014 – Fresh from an unprecedented third successive International Engine of the Year award, Ford's small yet surprisingly powerful 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is Europe's best-selling turbocharged petrol engine for the first six months of the year, according to Ford figures.
So far this year, one in every five vehicles Ford sold in Europe was equipped with a 1.0-litre EcoBoost,* the engine block of which is small enough to fit on a sheet of A4 paper.
From January through June 2014, Ford sold approximately 120,000 1.0-litre EcoBoost vehicles, compared with 104,000 during the first six months of 2013 – an increase of more than 15 per cent. For the first half of 2014, 1.0-litre EcoBoost models made up 47 per cent of all B-MAX multi-activity vehicles sold, 33 per cent of Focus sales, and 30 per cent of Fiesta sales.**
"Customers are clearly enjoying the benefits from a small engine that offers great fuel efficiency with no compromise to refinement or performance," said Barb Samardzich, chief operating officer, Ford of Europe. "The range of models offering the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine will rise to 11 when the all-new Mondeo is launched in the coming months, and the new 140 PS version in the Fiesta Red Edition and Black Edition shows there is even more potential."
The 1.0-litre EcoBoost was in June again named the 2014 International Engine of the Year for its drivability, performance, economy, refinement and technology – fighting off competition from premium brands and supercars.
"This year's competition was the fiercest yet, but the 1.0-litre EcoBoost continues to stand out for all the right reasons – great refinement, surprising flexibility and excellent efficiency," said Dean Slavnich, co-chairman of the 16th International Engine of the Year awards and editor of Engine Technology International magazine, who presented the award. "The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is one of the finest examples of powertrain engineering."
The engine has now won 13 major awards. In addition to collecting seven International Engine of the Year awards in three years – including Best New Engine in 2012 – the 1.0-litre EcoBoost also has been awarded the International Paul Pietsch Award 2013 for technological innovation in Germany; the Dewar Trophy from the Royal Automobile Club in Great Britain; and in the U.S., the Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics magazine. Ford also is the first automaker to win a Ward's 10 Best Engines trophy for a three-cylinder engine.
Launched in Europe in 2012 in Ford Focus, the 1.0-litre EcoBoost is also now available for Fiesta, B-MAX, EcoSport, C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, Tourneo Connect, Tourneo Courier, Transit Connect and Transit Courier.
Already available with 100 PS and 125 PS, Ford recently debuted a new 140 PS version of Europe's best-selling sub-1.0-litre the engine in the new Fiesta Red Edition and Fiesta Black Edition models; the most powerful volume production 1.0-litre road cars ever, achieving 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 9 seconds, a top speed of 201 km/h (125 mph) and delivering 4.5 l/100 km (62.8 mpg) and 104 g/km CO2. ***
More than 200 engineers and designers from Ford's research and development centres in Aachen and Merkenich, Germany, and Dagenham and Dunton, U.K., spent more than five million hours developing the three cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost.
The engine's compact, low-inertia turbocharger spins at up to 248,000 rpm – more than 4,000 times per second and almost twice the maximum rpm of the turbochargers powering 2014 F1 race car engines. The 140 PS 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine's turbocharger delivers 1.6 bar (24 psi) of boost pressure. Peak firing pressure of 124 bar (1,800 psi) equates to a five-tonne African elephant standing on the piston.
"Setting a new global benchmark in powertrain engineering, this 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is proving a big success with the judges that matter most – our customers," said Samardzich.
The engine has proved a firm favourite in the Netherlands where so far this year it has accounted for 38 per cent of all Ford's sold; while 35 per cent of customers in Denmark have specified 1.0-litre models, as have 32 per cent of customers in Switzerland. Worldwide it is now available in 72 countries.
# # #
* Ford Sales Reporting figures. Ford's 20 European main markets are Austria, Belgium, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
** JATO Dynamics results are based on information provided by JATO Consult, the company's bespoke consulting service. Figures are based on 30 European countries. For more information please visit www.jato.com.
*** The declared fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are measured according to the technical requirements and specifications of the European Regulations (EC) 715/2007 and (EC) 692/2008 as last amended. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are specified for a vehicle variant and not for a single car. The applied standard test procedure enables comparison between different vehicle types and different manufacturers. In addition to the fuel efficiency of a car, driving behaviour as well as other non-technical factors play a role in determining a car's fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. CO2 is the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Results in MPG also correspond to this European drive cycle and are stated in imperial gallons. The results may differ from fuel economy figures in other regions of the world due to the different drive cycles and regulations used in those markets.
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- News Source: Ford, Philly.com, Recycling International, Mineta Transportation Institute, Green Car Congress, Little Box Challenge
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By John Beltz Snyder
See also: Weekly Recap: Auto execs face life in prison for recall delays under proposed legislation, Ford-sponsored survey says a third of Brits have snapped a 'selfie' while driving [w/videos], Car companies used to cook up sales with recipe books.