TORONTO -- Last week, Ford laid out its plan to ensure a sustainable transportation future and a cleaner environment. The plan involves three steps.
The near-term phase runs from now to 2012, the mid-term extends to 2020 and the long-term period takes care of 2020 and beyond. It is an all-encompassing vision that touches all emerging technologies.
This Ford Edge is equipped with the HySeries Drive fuel cell technology.
The assertion by Greg Franette, chief engineer for Ford's fuel cell and hybrid vehicle programs, that the greening of the company's portfolio would continue unabated despite Ford's precarious financial position is an important one for the planet.
One of the statistics used during Franette's presentation proved to be eye-opening: According to a 2006 report by Environment Canada, passenger cars and light trucks account for 12.5 per cent of the growing greenhouse gas (GHG) problem, not the 25 per cent so regularly touted. Industry, by comparison, accounts for 42 per cent, yet it somehow manages to escape close scrutiny whenever the GHG situation rears its ugly head.
In the near term, Ford will begin to roll out its EcoBoost range of four- and six-cylinder engines. The adoption of gasoline direct injection and turbocharging improves fuel economy by 20 per cent or more while dropping CO2 emissions by 20 per cent without diminishing overall performance.
For example, Ford's 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 brings much better torque over a broader range.
As used in the 2009 Lincoln MKX, it promises 340-plus pound-feet of torque between 2,000 and 5,000 r.p.m. This compares with the 270 to 310 lb-ft developed by a naturally aspirated 4.6L V8 over the same speed range.
Another key step is to roll out more six-speed transmissions and increase the use of electric power steering as both measures improve fuel economy while reducing emissions.
Next year, Ford will roll out an updated Escape Hybrid with a new 2.5L Atkinson-cycle engine in place of the current 2.3L four and will add a hybrid version of the Fusion.
In the mid-term (as early as 2012), Ford will introduce a plug-in version of the Escape Hybrid. Replacing the current 330-volt nickel-metal-hydride battery with a lithium-ion pack and then charging it from the power grid allows the SUV's first 64 kilometres to be driven using electric power alone. On a typical drive -- most daily commutes are less than 64 km -- the environmental impact would be massive.
Aerodynamics
Other measures include improved aerodynamics (drag, especially at speeds exceeding 80 km/h, increases fuel consumption enormously) and the introduction of ultra-clean diesel engines. The latter are already making inroads in Europe and, as the acceptance of diesel increases in North America, it will take its rightful place on the clean side of the environmental ledger. Taking weight out of future vehicles will also play an important role.
For the long term, Ford is betting on the fuel cell. At present, the company has 30 Focus FCVs (fuel cell vehicles) in operation in North America, five of which are running around the Vancouver area. In all, these test mules have amassed more than 1.2 million test kilometres without significant problems.
In fact, Franette says the fuel cells have been very reliable, with only one being replaced to date. It is the ancillaries that are proving to be suspect -- the simple motors and pumps one tends to take for granted.
The latest expression of the fuel cell breed is Ford's HySeries Drive, which is making the rounds in a modified Edge. The system is a plug-in hybrid that uses a fuel cell in place of a conventional engine. As with the Escape, the HySeries Edge operates on the power stored in its 336-volt lithium-ion battery for the first 40 km of the drive. As soon as the main battery drops to a 40 per cent state of charge, the fuel cell fires up and begins to recharge the battery. This extends the driving range to a credible 360 km.
The Edge's packaging is straightforward. There are two 65-kilowatt (87-horsepower) electric motors (one front, one rear) that combine to add an all-wheel-drive component, plus a centrally mounted hydrogen tank (holding 4.5 kilograms) that is flanked by the battery pack and fuel cell stack.
As with a conventional hybrid, the HySeries also uses regenerative braking to capture the kinetic energy in the vehicle whenever it is coasting or braking. This combination brings an equivalent fuel economy of 5.7 litres per 100 km. And, remember, this is a completely emissions-free figure -- the HySeries' only byproduct is water.
The lone drawback in the HySeries Drive Edge is its mass. At 2,450 kg, it is, to be polite, rather rotund. With time, the weight problem will be addressed, which will increase the vehicle's driving range and overall performance.
A test loop -- a short three or four kilometres -- proved just how far the fuel cell vehicle has come in a very short time. Early examples tended to be rather unreliable and less than seamless in the manner by which power was put to pavement.
The HySeries Edge has a completely integrated feel, peppy acceleration and is quiet. Only the whirring of the fans and pumps needed to cool various components breaks the silence. This latter is an often-overlooked benefit as noise pollution is a growing and worrisome problem.
-- Canwest News Service
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