Little introduction is needed about gasoline-electric hybrid technology. It was and still is a stunning piece of automotive technology popularized by the Toyota Prius. Ford, seeing the potential of this fuel saving technology got into the act as soon as possible and entered with a patent sharing agreement with Toyota in 2004. The first fruit of this agreement was also the first hybrid sport utility vehicle—the Escape Hybrid. However, Ford went a step further by making the Escape Hybrid a flexible fuel vehicle, capable of running on E85. Since then, Ford has introduced other hybrid vehicles including the Motor Trend and North American Car of the Year, the Ford Fusion Hybrid.
Though Ford sees EcoBoost as an excellent short term solution to improve efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions, Ford also sees how hybrid cars with plug-in capability can drastically reduce emissions even further. Ford is now examining how plug-in hybrids can interact with the entire electrical grid. They hope that one day, plug-in hybrids will not only draw power from the electrical grid, but will be able to pass on excess power back to the grid. Currently, Ford is experimenting on this concept by converting a fleet of its Ford Escape Hybrid into plug-in hybrids. This revised Escape can now drive up to 48 kilometers purely on battery power alone, while its effects on the power grid is being studied by Southern California Edison Corporation.
Ford also experimented on pure electric vehicles with the Think City car first and then a fleet of Ranger EVs for the US postal service. In the 2010 North American International Auto Show, Ford announced that its 2012 Focus will have a purely electric variant dubbed Focus RV. This will be a global vehicle that will be sold in key markets in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific. The Focus RV will have a range of about 160 kilometers and can be charged on a standard 110-volt house outlet.
The Cleanest of Them All
Sharp-eyed James Bond fans will immediately spot a fleet of hydrogen-powered Edge in the movie, Quantum of Solace. At the time, most thought of them as simply stickered versions of the regular Edge, but that’s far from the truth. In reality, these Ford Edge are powered by Ford’s HySeries Drive which is a hydrogen fuel cell-electric vehicle hybrid. It’s the latest in a line of experimental vehicles developed by Ford to run on hydrogen.
The same Edge HySeries albeit with a different paintjob was made available for the media to drive. Starting on hydrogen power, this experimental Edge immediately sounded something straight out of a science fiction movie. It’s completely quiet at idle and once the speeds build up, it’s replaced by the unmistakable purr of an electric power and nothing more. It’s mighty fast too, reaching up to 100 km/h in no time. And with a touch of a button, the Edge HySeries can switch to stored electrical energy in its lithium-ion batteries. The switch sequence required a couple of seconds, but was unobtrusive save for some dash indicators.
Hydrogen is said to be the fuel of the future because of its natural abundance as well as its cleanliness. The term ‘fuel cell’ comes from the electrochemical cell in the fuel tank that produces the electricity. Power is generated through a reaction triggered in the presence of an electrolyte between the fuel (hydrogen) and an oxidant (oxygen from the air). The reactants flow into the cell and the by-products (water vapor) flows out of it.
Unlike conventional batteries that use stored electrical energy, hydrogen fuel cells consume reactants from an external source. This presents a huge challenge for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles because of the need of new refueling infrastructure. In fact, the Obama Administration cut off funds for the development of fuel cell vehicles because they don’t see hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to be practical in the next 10-20 years.
However, this hasn’t stopped Ford from demonstrating hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. They see the benefits of fuel cell vehicles in reducing air pollution as well as sound pollution, with favorable impacts upon respiratory health as well. As early as 2006, Ford demonstrated its fuel cell technology with a 174 horsepower Explorer with a hydrogen fuel cell capable of traveling 563 kilometers—the farthest for a fuel cell vehicle so far.
Clean and Green
Ford Motor Company, once a poster child for conspicuous fuel consumption has turned 180 degrees and is now at the forefront of the fuel efficiency game. It’s the most fuel-efficient American car company with 13 vehicles having a fuel mileage of 12.75 km/L or better. And this is just the start.
They have just announced that it will accelerate plans to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles, converting three truck and SUV plants for small car production. For example, the Ford Fiesta—once a European only subcompact car will now be made available for the North American and Asia-Pacific markets. At the most extreme end is the Fiesta ECOnetic which achieves 27.03 km/L in European tests. But even the more regular versions of the Fiesta can achieve excellent mileage thanks to the use of technology such as PowerShift—the 6-speed dual clutch automatic. Ford is also using advanced aerodynamic aids such as active engine shutters on future models like the 2012 Focus which will improve its fuel mileage even further. Ford is also challenging the next generation of car designers from several universities to come out with their car of the future: a simple, durable, lightweight and fuel-efficient vehicle with a target price of just US$ 7,000 (~P 350,000). The resulting car is certainly a hat tip to the one that started it all over a century ago: the 2012 Model T.
By Ulysses Ang | Photos By Ulysses Ang
Originally Published in The Philippine Star
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