Ford recently revealed the smallest engine it has ever built that the American carmaker plans to introduce globally through its future small car offerings.
The engine is a 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine that engineers at Ford's Dunton Technical Center in the United Kingdom developed to be the "cornerstone of the ambitious EcoBoost petrol engine family."
"Consumers are telling us they want to buy affordable vehicles that get many more miles per gallon," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president of global product development. "Our new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine will give consumers looking for hybrid-like fuel economy a new, more affordable choice."
Although final calibrations of the new EcoBoost 1.0-liter are currently under way, Kuzak believes that the new engine will deliver horsepower and torque outputs equivalent to or better than most normally aspirated 1.6-liter gasoline engines but with much higher fuel economy and lower emissions.
To achieve this, Ford focused on improving thermal efficiency and reducing friction of the engine's internal moving parts, particularly during warm-up which. According to the carmaker, this is when an engine emits higher levels of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.
Among the innovative efficiency solutions presented by the new 1.0-liter engine are:
* An offset crankshaft that reduces friction;
* An advanced, Ford-designed split cooling system that allows the cylinder block to warm up before the cylinder head. Faster cylinder block warm-ups save fuel, especially in cold weather;
* An exhaust manifold cast into the cylinder head. The one-piece assembly lowers the temperature of the exhaust gases. This enables the engine to run in a wider rpm band with the optimum fuel-to-air ratio. The new design also saves weight and allows the engine to operate more smoothly; and
* EcoBoost technologies, such as turbocharging, direct-injection and twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT)
"No one's ever built a three-cylinder engine quite like this. Not only is it one of the most technically advanced and efficient engines we've ever designed, but it will introduce a number of new technologies to the Ford engine lineup," said Joe Bakaj, Ford vice president of global powertrain engineering. "Drivers are going to like the new 1.0-liter EcoBoost because it delivers great low-speed responsiveness, power, torque and smoothness."
Ford's new engine will debut in its new Fiesta-based B-Max mini multipurpose vehicle in 2012. Ford Group Philippines assistant vice president for communications Anika Salceda-Wycoco said, however, that the company "does not have any plan at the moment" regarding the 1.0-liter engine's possible arrival in the Philippines.
"Our first vehicle to be equipped with the Ecoboost technology will be the all-new Explorer in early 2012," Salceda-Wycoco added.
Do you think Ford should start firming up plans to bring in the B-Max or should the carmaker introduce the 1.0-liter Ecoboost engine with a totally different model?
