Join the conversation and ask your questions live with Ford’s Advanced Engine Design and Development Manager, Brett Hinds. This exclusive live chat focuses on one of Ford’s latest technologies –EcoBoost, the newest and most advanced engine technology in Ford’s lineup.

The EcoBoost family of four and six-cylinder engines use turbocharging and direct injection technology to help Ford vehicles deliver up to 20% better fuel economy, while simultaneously cutting CO2 emissions by 15 percent.

To check out the chat live, tomorrow, on August 21st at 10:30 a.m.

Quotes

“Engines are interesting machines,” said Hinds. “They produce a lot of performance and give the car personality and character. They’re complex. I’m inspired to continually make them better and more efficient.”
–Brett Hinds, Advance Engine Design and Development Manager

“We’re actually helping the Earth,” added Hinds. “Our customers will not have to make compromises to enjoy the EcoBoost engine. Customers do not have to sacrifice performance for fuel economy, and that helps the environment, the nation and the consumer.”
–Brett Hinds, Advance Engine Design and Development Manager

Ford Motor Company’s 10th annual Sustainability Report released today provides a comprehensive look at the company’s progress on environmental and social issues over the past year.

The 2008/2009 reported entitled “Blueprint for Sustainability: Our Future Works” updates the company’s progress in key areas of climate change, fuel economy, mobility, vehicle safety and human rights.

The full report is now available online at www.ford.com/go/sustainability. In the interest of the environment and as a cost saving measure, Ford elected not to do a traditional print version of the report.

On Climate Change
Ford remains on track to reach its goal to reduce by 30 percent the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of its new U.S. and European vehicles by 2020, compared to the 2006 model year. To learn more about Ford’s commitment to its climate change strategy, click here.

On Fuel Economy
Ford is committed to make all of its new vehicles either best in class or among the best in class in fuel economy. All of its North American 2010 model year vehicles and many 2009 model year vehicles meet this commitment. To learn more about Ford’s commitment to delivering fuel efficient technologies to millions, click here.

On Electrification
Ford is accelerating the development of battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrids (PHEV), which it will introduce in North America from 2010 to 2012. To learn more about Ford’s commitment to electric vehicles, click here.

On Mobility
With the rise of mega-cities around the world – urban areas of 5 million to 10 million people or more – Ford is working on sustainable mobility solutions that reduce personal transportation’s environmental and social impacts. To learn more about Ford’s commitment to new mobility solutions, click here.

On Human Rights
For several years Ford facilities and those of its joint-venture companies and suppliers have operated under the Ford Code of Basic Working Conditions, which requires products to be manufactured under conditions that demonstrate respect for the people who make them. To learn more about Ford’s commitment to human rights, click here.

On Vehicle Safety
Ford Motor Company holds more Top Safety Pick ratings (awarded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IIHS)) than any other automaker and more U.S. government 5-star-rated vehicles than any brand. To learn more about Ford’s commitment to vehicle safety, click here.

On Sustaining Ford
Over the past several years, Ford has undertaken a fundamental restructuring of its operations that affects every part of its business, from product innovation and fuel efficiency to labor relations and its interactions with suppliers and dealers. To learn more about Ford’s plan to return to profitability, click here.

QUOTES

“Our economic and environmental goals are aligned. In fact, we believe that the best way for us to be more profitable is to make our business and products more sustainable.” – Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company

“We recognize these issues are increasingly important to our stakeholders, including our customers, investors and business partners. We want them to understand that we will continue to pursue our sustainability agenda despite very challenging economic conditions.”
– Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering

“Ford’s reporting has benefited greatly from open and honest dialogue with shareholders, environmental organizations and other key stakeholders regarding a variety of sustainability issues, including global climate change and good governance practices.” – Carol Lee Rawn, senior manager of the Transportation Program at Ceres, who led the Ceres stakeholder team that advised Ford on its Sustainability Report

Car buyers seeking fuel efficient hybrids with top safety ratings in a variety of vehicle segments can look forward to a one-stop shopping trip. Only at a Ford or Lincoln-Mercury dealership will they find not one but two top-safety-rated hybrids from which to choose.

Ford is the only automotive brand to offer two hybrids that have segment-leading fuel efficiency, “Top Safety Pick” awards and exclusive safety technologies.

The all-new 2010 Fusion and Fusion Hybrid – the most fuel efficient midsize cars in North America – has received a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The Fusion Hybrid offers 41 mpg city – beating rival Toyota Camry hybrid by 8 mpg – and its stable mate the Escape Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient SUV on the market and also garnered a “Top Safety Pick.” Fusion and Escape’s Mercury hybrid counterparts, the Milan and Mariner, also received the top rating.

Side impact protection

Fusion and Milan get some of their core strength from the use of lightweight high-strength steel in the body structure. The structure of the Fusion helps it withstand intrusion in a side impact. The tailor-welded B-pillars between the front and rear doorframes are stronger at the top of the vehicle –from below the beltline upward – than at the bottom. This helps to channel energy below the level of the occupants. At the torso level and above, the structure helps to prevent intrusion into the passenger compartment.

Segment-exclusive features

Among the segment-exclusive safety and driver aid technologies on the new Fusion and Milan are Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Cross Traffic Alert (CTA).

BLIS with CTA uses two multiple-beam radars in the rear quarter panels (one per side) for two different – but important – purposes. BLIS checks the defined blind spot zone, which is about 10 feet from the back of the bumper to the outside mirrors. When a vehicle is detected, an amber light in the outside mirror of whichever side the vehicle is on lights up. The driver is still responsible for any lane changes, but the BLIS is there to help.

Cross Traffic Alert notifies the driver of impending traffic when backing out of a parking spot and warns the driver when a vehicle is detected within three car widths of either side of the car. As with BLIS, the driver is warned with a light in the outside mirror on the side of the traffic. A warning beep is also sounded.

911 Assist

For safety and security, the 2010 Fusion and Milan also include 911 Assist, an exclusive new feature integrated into the award-winning Ford SYNCTM hands-free system. 911 Assist is designed to aid occupants in placing a call directly to a local 911 emergency operator if an accident that activates an air bag or the emergency fuel cutoff occurs. Unlike competitive systems that are routed through an intermediate call center, 911 Assist places the call directly to the 911 operator to speed response time. Ford Escape also features SYNC with 911 Assist.

Safety and Security

Fusion and Milan’s standard safety features also include six standard air bags, Ford’s Personal Safety System®, AdvanceTrac® electronic stability control system, BeltMinder® safety belt chime and warning lamp, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, and LATCH – the Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren system.

QUOTES

“Customers no longer have to choose between fuel economy and safety – now they can have both with the Fusion and Escape hybrids.” – Susan Cischke, group vice president, Ford Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering
“The new Fusion and Milan continue to build on Ford’s leading safety heritage and prove yet again that a high level of safety can come in a midsize package.” – Steve Kozak, chief engineer, Ford Safety Systems.

“We know people want to stay connected in their vehicles, so we’re delivering that connectivity for them responsibly and safely. Our research backs up what most of us instinctively know – that it’s better while driving to place a call using a voice interface than dialing manually, so you can keep your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.” – Susan Cischke, group vice president, Ford Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering

Ford invested $55 million for tooling and equipment upgrades at Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1, which has been idled since 2007, to build the EcoBoost engine. The powerful, fuel-efficient 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engines represent the cornerstone of Ford’s technology plan to deliver fuel efficiency and performance to millions.

EcoBoost will first be available this summer in the 2010 Lincoln MKS, Lincoln MKT, Ford Taurus SHO and Ford Flex. Production is slated to begin this spring, with approximately 250 employees forming shifts to build the engine. The employees are a combination of employees who worked in the plant, before it was idled in 2007, and employees from other plants.

Employee training and flexible manufacturing are key components to the success of the Cleveland Engine Plant. Here are some highlights of this two-fold strategy:

Extensive Employee Training

• The workforce participated in an intensive three-tier training program aimed at improving quality and empowering employees. The first two phases of training covered basic manufacturing operations and employees learned how to manage their own equipment and work area through “manufacturing work teams” at the plant.
• For the final phase, the plant will be working with Cuyahoga Community College. During four weeks of onsite classroom training employees will upgrade skill sets for machining technicians and production team leaders, and will receive 10 credit hours toward an associate’s degree in Advanced Manufacturing Technology.

Flexible Manufacturing

• Outfitted with a flexible manufacturing system for powertrains, featuring modern, Computerized Numerical Control machine tools (CNC machines) the facility can easily be retooled and reprogrammed to perform new tasks with minimal disruption to production.
• A new, internal database will ensure quality is built into the engine from the outset. During production, each engine built at the plant will have a sophisticated engine “birth history” that allows plant engineers to trace the precise path taken by any part so any quality control issue can be traced back to its source.

Quotes

“The EcoBoost engine is a strategic product that will provide Ford with a competitive edge. The Cleveland site is thrilled to be delivering an important product for the company. We have an outstanding, specially trained workforce that is committed to delivering a world-class, quality product for our customers.”
- Jan Allman, Cleveland Site Manager

“This training approach not only delivers the technical training to the workforce but also empowers them which is a cultural change from the traditional management-directed system. You’re turning over the keys to the hourly team members to let them do what they need to do to get their jobs done. Each employee, working under a team leader, is responsible for his or her area and they work as a team to deliver a high quality engine.”
- Kevin Heck, Cleveland Engine No. 1 Area Manager

“What we do is primarily teach job skills, so this fits right in with our mission statement. What’s unique about this is we’re doing it in Ford-dedicated workspace; we’re bringing our instructors and our equipment to Ford and we’re offering the credit hours. We, along with Ford, understand the importance of helping people expand their skills and knowledge for the rapidly changing workplace.”
-John Gajewski, Executive Director of Cuyahoga Community College Workforce and Economic Development Division

The “boost” of Ford’s new EcoBoost engine technology comes from two small devices the size of an orange. Twin turbochargers harness exhaust gas to pump V-8 power out of the smaller-displacement EcoBoost™ V-6 engine. This technology – in conjunction with direct fuel injection – allows EcoBoost to punch above its size in terms of power and responsiveness.

The EcoBoost V-6 is the first application of smaller twin turbos in a Ford, rather than one larger one. This is to fight turbo lag, the tendency for previous generation turbocharged engines to have hesitation at low engine revs while the turbocharger spooled up to its operating speed.

Sophisticated electronic controls balance boost and torque levels to give the driver the feeling of continuous torque delivery, without turbo “whines” and “whooshes” that characterized some previous-generation turbo engines. As a result, the driver never notices the turbocharger operation.

The EcoBoost turbo system runs at very high temperature, up to 950 degrees Celsius (1,740 degrees Fahrenheit). An air-to-air intercooler is used to cool the compressed intake air before it enters the combustion chamber, and water cooling protects the internal turbo bearings in the high-temperature operating environment.

The EcoBoost has responded robustly in both engine dynamometer test labs and in real world environments ranging from high-temperature conditions to cold conditions down to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Drivability, cold starts, high-altitude running and trailer towing were validated, and the Ford EcoBoost V-6 performed effortlessly in the place a V-8 engine would once have been.

Quotes

“A turbo is basically a large air pump. Increasing the mass of air in the engine increases its power output, and that’s why it’s called ‘boost.’ ”
- Craig Stephens, EcoBoost Powertrain Control System Manager

“EcoBoost gives the driver a very linear torque response. You get peak torque across a very wide engine speed range – usable performance that’s available to you when you pull away from a stoplight or pass someone on a secondary road. You don’t need to wind the engine out to get performance out of it. It’s there all the time.”
- Corey Weaver, EcoBoost Project Leader

Under Ford’s global initiative to provide powertrains that deliver fuel efficiency while meeting the power and performance needs customers demand, the first wave of new EcoBoost™ engines make their debut in the Lincoln MKS, MKT and Ford Flex later this year. Here are some key highlights on Ford’s new EcoBoost technology:

Power and fuel economy – The twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter Duratec V-6 EcoBoost engine produces 355 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 350 ft.-lb. of torque at 3,500 rpm. A 10-15 percent fuel-economy benefit is expected versus normally aspirated 4.6-liter V-8 engines in the same competitive class.

Engine – The proven Duratec 3.5-liter V-6 comprises the base engine architecture. To handle the increased torque that EcoBoost delivers, some upgrades were made to some of the components, such as the cylinder block, crankshaft, connecting rods pistons and exhaust valves to ensure the EcoBoost V-6 engine is as robust as possible.

Turbochargers – Two Honeywell GT15 turbochargers with water-cooled bearings and operate in parallel, spinning at approximately 170,000 rpm up to 12 PSI. They are rated for a 150,000-mile, 10-year life.

Direct fuel injection – A cam-driven high-pressure fuel pump feeds the fuel injectors at pressures ranging from 200 to 2,175 PSI (pounds per square inch) depending on customer driving. A typical port fuel injection system operates at pressures of around 60 PSI. Six sprayers in each injector target fuel into the cylinder, resulting in a cleaner and more-efficient fuel burn and better cold-start emissions.

Quotes

“The Duratec 3.5 family is a good example of Ford’s forward planning in terms of powertrain technologies. The engine architecture itself was well protected for high-boost applications, so it didn’t require an extensive durability program. It was in good shape to start with.”
- Brett Hinds, EcoBoost Design Manager

The first gasoline direct-injection twin-turbocharged engine produced in North America, the 2010 EcoBoost Flex boasts segment-leading fuel economy among full-size performance crossover vehicles with 22 mpg highway and 18 mpg combined. In fact, the all-new engine gives Flex V-8 power and performance feel with the fuel economy of a V-6, saving customers money. Due to Ford’s significant technological advancements, customers can benefit from fuel efficiency with the seamless power delivery they expect from Flex.

Here are some key facts about Ford Flex and EcoBoost

• The 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine delivers an impressive 355 horsepower and a responsive 350 lb.-ft. of torque across a broad rpm range, simultaneously giving Ford Flex the power of a normally aspirated 4.6-liter V-8 while enjoying V-6 fuel efficiency.
• The twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine requires all-wheel drive and will be available on well-equipped SEL and Limited models of the 2010 Flex, packaged with several high-demand customer features.
• The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 is the first in a wave of EcoBoost engines coming from Ford as part of a strategy to bring major fuel-efficiency improvements to millions.
• The key to the EcoBoost system is the harmony between the twin turbochargers and the direct injection fuel system. The turbochargers recover energy from the exhaust that otherwise would’ve been wasted and put it back in the engine to gain efficiency.
• By 2013, more than 90 percent of Ford’s North American lineup will be available with EcoBoost.

Quotes

“We are committed to delivering fuel economy leadership in every new vehicle. We do this with affordable technology that can be applied to the widest number of vehicles. EcoBoost is an important component of that goal. The beauty of EcoBoost is that it enables us to downsize for fuel efficiency, yet boost for power. We’re able to decrease the size of the available engine – such as installing a V-6 versus a V-8 – yet boost the power using turbocharging to deliver similar power and torque of that larger engine.”
- Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s Group President of Global Product Development

“We know that there are customers who are looking for the power and performance of a traditional V-8 but are not willing to sacrifice this for fuel economy. No one else in this segment offers this level of performance and versatility, and when you wrap it up in Flex’s unique package, we believe that it will offer a compelling buy in the crossover segment.”
- Kate Pearce, Flex Marketing Manager