C-Max Energi is Ford’s first production plug-in hybrid – but it won’t be coming to the UK
and heated to maintain a stable environment, helping maximise life and output) it produces 142hp. It has a top speed of 85mph and has a claimed range of 100 miles. Recharge times vary from as little as three to four hours when plugged into a 32-amp supply to 10-11 hours when charged through a domestic 240-volt/10-amp supply. Conventional approach to environmental issues Ford might be the number two manufacturer of hybrid cars, but if you suspect its approach to electric power is guarded, you could be right. Roland Krüeger, chief of electric powertrain development at Ford’s European Technical Centre in Cologne, is clearly committed to exploring the use of electric power in cars – he sits on the ColognE-mobil project – but even he suggests that conventional powertrains can provide more practical alternatives for the time being. Of the fuel efficiency of fossil fuel engines, he says there is “still more to come, especially on the petrol side, but the steps will get smaller and smaller”. However, Krüeger believes that the more widespread use of electric vehicles is inevitable. He says: “By 2020, it will be hard to achieve the legal requirements with electrification.” This explains Ford’s current interest in alternative fuels (and probably several other manufacturers as well); it has no choice but to be interested. The manufacturer also needs a wide range of power options to cater for geographical variations in demand – and it isn’t just national considerations either, as hyper-local markets can be as sensitive to political nuance. A London-based company that travels solely within the congestion charge zone would take a very different view to that of a company based in and around Birmingham, for example. This is why Ford needs a ‘portfolio of options’, only one of which happens to be electric. If future legislation is a catalyst for change, Ford is keeping its options open. Electricity isn’t the only alternative fuel on offer or being considered: natural gas is widespread in North America as a fossil fuel alternative in vehicles, LPG is still popular in mainland Europe, even if its use in the UK is declining, biofuel, used as a conventional fuel supplement, is an attractive proposition and fuelcell cars running hydrogen might just oust EVs in the not-so-distant future. Telemetrics – a missed opportunity? No telemetrics are available with the current range of Ford EVs, denying fleet managers the opportunity to monitor charging regimes and running costs remotely. This seems like an opportunity missed given how well regarded Nissan’s Carwings app and Volvo’s On Call apps have been.
“There is still more to come, especially on the petrol side, but the steps will be smaller and smaller” Roland Krüeger, Ford
10-11 recharge time (hours) of Focus Electric
85
top speed (mph) of Focus Electric
The Atkinson-cycle engine So what is an Atkinson-cycle engine, and why has Ford chosen to use it in its C-Max Energi and Fusion/Mondeo hybrids? Simply put, the modern Atkinson-cycle is a variation on the conventional Otto cycle engine in which the intake valve is held open during the first part of the compression stroke, allowing a higher expansion ratio. This trades power for efficiency, an engineering sleight-of-hand that is acceptable when you have an electric motor supplementing your petrol engine’s output – and where low emissions and high fuel economy are the aim.
Resale values The Focus Electric starts at £33,500 in the UK, and is eligible for the £5,000 Government Plug-In Car Grant. That’s a considerable amount as the Nissan Leaf starts at £15,990 (including grant). Resale values are “really difficult to predict” in Ford’s own words. The Leaf, the best-selling EV in the UK, depreciates at well over twice the rate of an equivalent diesel Focus or Volkswagen Golf and there is no reason to suspect that the Focus Electric will stray too far from that. As a result, Ford doesn’t expect to sell many this year, saying it will be pleased if 30 find new homes. Unsurprisingly, the Focus Electric will be built alongside the regular Focus; no one builds a new production line for numbers like that. The future The future for EVs is impossible to predict. Political wills are easily bent and while electricity is the flavour of choice at the moment it would be easy to argue a future where, say, hydrogen makes more sense for more people more of the time. And yet, as Henry Ford noted, there is good PR to be gained from the use of an electric vehicle, which for some companies is enough. Ford doesn’t think that many will take up its EV offer, but for those that do, the Focus Electric is by far the nicest of its electric range to drive.
fleetnews.co.uk Winter 2013 13