New diesel Ford Focus ECOnetic to debut at Amsterdam Motor Show; 67 mpg US
07 April 2011
Ford Motor Company will stage the debut of the new Focus ECOnetic next week at the Amsterdam Motor Show. The new diesel ECOnetic, which will go on sale early next year, leverages a number of advanced technologies that Ford expects will make it more fuel efficient than any other compact vehicle on the road today in Europe, including conventional diesel-, gasoline- and hybrid-powered vehicles.
Focus ECOnetic is expected to use less than 3.5 litres of diesel per 100 kilometers (67 mpg US) and to deliver CO2 emissions of less than 95g/km when certification is completed later this year. The Focus ECOnetic will be available in both five-door and wagon bodystyles.
The vehicle is powered by a completely new 105PS (104 hp, 77 kW) version of the 1.6-liter Ford Duratorq TDCi diesel, which has been optimized for enhanced fuel efficiency with a new injection system and turbocharger, enhanced charge cooling and further friction reduction measures.
The Focus ECOnetic also benefits a number of additional low-CO2 features which have been developed specifically for this model including a unique aerodynamic package with an Active Grille Shutter, ultra-low rolling resistance tires and a revised final drive ratio.
The Focus ECOnetic also incorporates the full range of Ford ECOnetic Technologies shared with other models in the all-new Focus line-up, including Ford Auto-Start-Stop, Smart Regenerative Charging, Ford Eco Mode and Shift Indicator Light.
The common rail fuel injection system of the diesel engine has been completely redesigned, with 8-hole nano sac injectors operating at injection pressures of up to 1,600 bar, controlled by a more powerful engine management system. The new injection system delivers more precise control and increased combustion efficiency.
To provide more accurate control of the charge air temperature and to deliver a cooler, denser charge, the intake system features a water cooled intercooler in place of the standard air-to-air system.
Other new, or completely revised, features to enhance fuel efficiency include:
- New variable geometry turbocharger design;
- Reduced engine friction from low-friction piston ring coatings and variable flow oil pump;
- Additional reduction in engine losses from low inertia vacuum pump and asymmetric crank sprocket design; and
- Updated emissions system combining a diesel NOx-reducing catalyst with a coated Diesel Particulate Filter system.
The 1.6-liter ECOnetic diesel is paired with Ford’s 6-speed Durashift manual transmission, which is also used in other new Focus models with the 1.6-liter TDCi engine. This transmission is a new high-efficiency design which has been optimized to eliminate frictional losses, and utilizes special low friction transmission oil.
A revised final drive ratio has been selected to raise the overall gearing, reducing engine speed and offering improved fuel economy when cruising in top gear.
While the standard all-new Focus already boasts an aerodynamic bodyshell (5-door CD = 0.295), the ECOnetic model has been designed with a number of additional features to minimize drag still further.
Much of the aerodynamic development was concentrated on smoothing the airflow underneath the vehicle. The ECOnetic derivative features additional undershields and deflectors, which cover most of the underfloor between the front and rear axles, together with a new undershield on the rear axle.
Aerodynamic performance is also improved by the use of steel wheels combined with special low-drag ECOnetic wheel covers, which are more streamlined than a conventional alloy wheel design.
The ECOnetic model features, as standard, the innovative Active Grille Shutter—an advanced new system that optimizes aerodynamics by using vents to control airflow through the grille to the cooling system and engine compartment. If air is required to cool the engine the vents are opened; but if no airflow is needed, the vents are shut, thereby significantly reducing aerodynamic drag.
Mounted in the grille aperture ahead of the radiator, the Active Grille Shutter features motorized horizontal vanes which can rotate through 90 degrees to block the air flow. Automatically controlled by the car’s electronic control unit, the vanes can be rotated into 16 different positions—from fully closed to fully open—depending on the amount of cooling air required.
When fully closed, the reduction in drag means that the Active Grille Shutter can reduce CO2 emissions by 2%.
The Focus ECOnetic also features a number of other low-CO2 technologies which are standard items on most models in the new Focus line-up. These include:
- Electric Power Assisted Steering;
- Low-friction engine and transmission oils;
- Low tension Front End Accessory Drive (FEAD); and
- Thermal Management Systems to optimize warm-up.
The new Ford Focus ECOnetic will be produced for the European market at the lead Focus manufacturing plant in Saarlouis, Germany. Market introduction is scheduled to be in early 2012.
It looks very impressive, but it asks more questions that it answers:
So how much above the regular 1.6 tdci will it cost ?
Is it just a "show queen" or do they expect to actually sell reasonable numbers of them ?
What real world mpg will "normal" people get ?
How many of the technologies will trickle down to the mainstream tcdi ?
Posted by: mahonj | 07 April 2011 at 10:06 AM
another diesel car not going to be in the american market so i can pay for the eletric cars
Posted by: ds | 07 April 2011 at 12:16 PM
mahonj,
A little extra plastic covers for the underside should not cost much.
Steel wheels with aerodynamic covers should be cheaper than alloy wheels.
Engine management computer - negligible - will trickly down soon.
New injections system - hard to assess the added costs... Not necessarily much more expensive. Redesign typically adds cost-saving measures as well as new, more expensive parts.
Automatic grille shutoff - if it were expensive, they probably would not do it. Almost all manufacturers employ this technique now.
Low-tension drive belt - no/negative added cost.
All in all, very little added costs, I assume. They might even sell it a the same price or lower to boost environmental profile. If your country has any kind of environmentally dependent taxation, it could very well be cheaper.
The effect on real world mileage should be considerable for the aerodynamic changes, unless you drive mostly in the city. Hard accelerations can negate any fuel saving otherwise accomplished by the features of the car.
These diesels should be driven by hardly touching the accelerator and keep the engine between 1,100 - 1,500 rpm as much as possible. And take the foot off long before stop-signs, round-about's etc. Ignore the angry driver behind you who insists on going full speed until the last moment and then slam the brakes ;)
Note that this car could very well have higher top speed than the regular versions.
Going fast and efficient can be quite amusing.
Posted by: Thomas Pedersen | 08 April 2011 at 04:25 AM
‘… Jos Dings, director of Brussels-based green transport campaigners Transport & Environment, says that the official CO2 results given by the manufactures on cars sold in Europe “are less and less a reflection of what we are seeing on the road.”
Dings says that there has always been a difference between the amount of CO2 a car emits during a controlled test and what it produces when actually driven. He said that gap used to be 20 percent but has risen to as high as 50 percent for models advertised as sub-100g/km cars.
“We don’t want cuts on paper,” Dings said in a phone interview. “We want them in reality.” ….’ (http://www.autonews.com/article/20110330/BLOG06/303309809/1503#ixzz1I91Q...)
Posted by: Pierre | 08 April 2011 at 05:47 AM
Would be nice if they introduced this to the US as well as Europe
Posted by: vrd863 | 09 April 2011 at 05:25 AM
up to 1,600 bar
I would not like fuel at over 20,000 psi under the hood.
Posted by: SJC | 09 April 2011 at 12:21 PM
Isn't that, a few years ago, a 3L/100km Lupo 1.2L TDI from VW?
Posted by: Pierre | 09 April 2011 at 04:03 PM
up to 1,600 bar
I would not like fuel at over 20,000 psi under the hood.
SJC,
What's the problem with those fuel pressures ?
AFAIK, 1000-2500bar pressures are quite usual in common rail small diesel engines. As pressure is built up in stages, only a tiny amount of fuel mass in the last segments of the fuel path achieve those high pressures.
Here is one link I found interesting about VW TDI as an exemple http://www.tdiclub.com/TDIFAQ/TDiFAQ-1.html.
Posted by: CelsoS | 11 April 2011 at 01:18 PM
Most people get higher fuel consumption than the official data based on the current European driving cycle (NEDC). It would be possible to use a much tougher driving cycle that gives higher fuel consumption that NEDC. Maybe that would make us all happy if we see that our own fuel consumption is lower than the official numbers. Anyway, you have to have a common ground for comparing and this is what we have for the moment. A new driving cycle is under development but it will take many years before that can be implemented. An improvement is still an improvement. Jos Dings comments are simply not well-founded and on the borderline to stupid.
I have a car with official fuel consumption of 4.9 l/100 km. I have no problem to get FC below that level using the “eco driving” method mentioned by Thomas Pedersen. Most customers should learn how to drive a car with a diesel engine to get low FC. Diesels are simply different than gasoline engines. You should not change gear at 5000 rpm if you want low FC but that habit is difficult to change. For the moment, the Ford Focus ECOnetic (3.5 l/100 km) is best in its class regarding FC. We should recognize them for that. Pricing for the ECOnetic version of the previous Focus was favorable, so we could hope for the same this time as well.
I am not afraid of 1600 bar. A high-pressure spray is only dangerous (e.g. for your hand) at a very, very close distance. Moreover, if you have a leak, the pressure will decrease immediately, since the fuel volume under pressure is small. The bigger the leak, the faster the pressure will drop. A leak of diesel fuel is much less likely to cause a fire than gasoline. I have tested to spray diesel fuel directly on a red-hot exhaust manifold and it did not catch fire, it just evaporated creating a white smoke. Of course, a fire could still start; it is just much less likely than with gasoline. I have 1800 bar in my car. Current state-of-the-art for common rail injection is 2000 bar (the one with 1600 bar used in Focus is of course less expensive). The Lupo 3L had 2050 bar but used a different injection system, a unit injector system. Later versions approached 2500 bar but was abandoned by VW in favor of common rail, which was much quieter. Diesel engine manufacturers would want much higher pressure, i.e. up to 3000 bar. Next generation could achieve ~2200 bar but in a couple of generations more, we could see up to 3000 bar. With modifications of the combustion process, this would enable meeting Euro 6 and US T2B5 without any NOx aftertreatment and, of course, much lower levels than that with NOx aftertreatment (note that contemporary Euro 6 cars use NOx aftertreatment).
Posted by: Peter_XX | 12 April 2011 at 12:42 AM