Fuel economy meets horsepower
Ford unveils EcoBoost engine
Ford unveils EcoBoost engine
KANSAS CITY — Fuel costs have given many drivers reason to dream of fuel sipping hybrids, hydrogen fuel cells and cars that you plug in to the wall.
But the worker who needs a sturdy truck still wants torque. And the high school guy who wants to impress his date still needs a little horsepower.
Americans have a romance with their cars, and fuel efficiency simply doesn’t carry much emotional cachet.
Brett Hines, a chief engineer for Ford Motor Co., told a group of car dealers, public officials and media on Thursday that the company has plans to improve gas mileage while adding power under the hood during a sustainability forum at the Kansas City Club.
“We can’t produce something that nobody wants. We can’t sell something that nobody wants,” Mr. Hines said.
The centerpiece of Mr. Hines presentation was a new Ford powerplant called the EcoBoost engine. Over time, Ford plans to replace its V-8 engines with EcoBoost V-6s and standard V-6s with in-line EcoBoost 4-cylinders.
Talk about fewer cylinders, smaller engine displacement and the green buzzword ‘eco’ might make a few gearheads worry. A look at the engine specifications should change their minds, Mr. Hines said. Both EcoBoost engines will feature twin turbochargers and direct injection. As a result, the EcoBoost V-6 will generate 340 horsepower and 340 pounds of torque, both improvements over the standard V-8, while cutting fuel consumption and emissions.
“We think the customer is going to walk in and say ‘You mean I can buy more horsepower, more fuel economy and it’ll tow better?’ Why would you want a V-8?” Mr. Hines asked.
Ford will launch the new engines first in the Lincoln MKS, followed by the Ford Flex. The F-150 will receive the new engines in a little more than a year, but customers still will have the option of a standard engine.
“We know that there are early adopters and then there are people that like the tradition of a V-8,” Mr. Hines said. “Of course, I’d like to sell all of them EcoBoosts, but that’s just me as the EcoBoost design guy.”
Business reporter Clinton Thomas can be reached at clintonthomas@npgco.com.
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Okay so instead of $60 every week, it will be $60 every other week.
What does this do for our dependance on foreign oil? Does it change it, no. Those vehicles still require gasoline.
Do these EcoBoost engines give us time to develop an alternative to gasoline, or do they simply allow us to buy less now?
T. Boone Pickens. It's a time to open your eyes when one of the worlds richest oil men says enough is enough - WE NEED SOMETHING OTHER THAN OIL!!!
I mean seriously, the fact that he is even saying it should make some people read what he is saying. I don't care if you like the guy or not - He's an oil man. He's made millions in oil. He says oil is not the future.
Why are people not listening?
www.PickensPlan.com
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