Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally today launched volume production of Ford’s smallest petrol engine – a 1.0-litre, turbocharged, direct injection EcoBoost engine that will debut in Europe in early 2012 and will be available worldwide soon.
The engine will debut in the European Ford Focus in early 2012, giving the Focus class-leading petrol CO2 emissions and fuel economy. It will subsequently be offered on the Ford C-MAX and the new B-MAX in Europe, and other Ford vehicles around the world.
New 1.0-litre EcoBoost is Ford’s smallest petrol engine. The turbocharged, direct injection engine delivers the combinations of 125PS with 114g/km CO2 and 100PS with 109g/km CO2 in the Ford Focus. This new EcoBoost engine delivers performance to rival a traditional 1.6-litre engine and with significantly improved fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions.
The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine was developed by Ford experts across Europe, including engineers at Ford’s European Research and Advanced Engineering Centre in Aachen, Germany, and the Dunton Technical Centre, UK.
High-tech EcoBoost production
The advanced EcoBoost production facility at Ford’s Cologne Engine Plant was designed by Ford’s Manufacturing Engineering team, Dunton, UK, using Ford’s Virtual Manufacturing laboratory, to offer maximum flexibility and efficiency. Nearly 100 new machining units and a 580-metre purpose-built assembly line have been installed.
Fifty-five automated and 14 semi-automated processes are used, alongside 90 work stations for skilled employees, helping to ensure the highest standards of quality and consistency in production. The technology is capable of machining to an accuracy of 10 microns, 10 to 20 per cent the width of a human hair.
Ford has introduced new manufacturing techniques that reduce the volume of coolant required when machining aluminium engine parts to just four or five millilitres per component from a previous requirement of up to two litres, a reduction of more than 99 per cent that contributes to a reduced environmental footprint from manufacturing.
New “cold testing” technology allows completed engines to be tested without being started – reducing fuel usage and CO2 emissions from the process by 66 per cent – while 100 per cent of the remaining energy required to run the plant comes from renewable sources. Total electricity demands have been reduced by 66 per cent compared with production of Ford’s 4.0-litre V6 engine, which ends today at Cologne Engine Plant.