Auto Monitor
38
25 JUNE 2012
G L O B A L WAT C H
UK designed Ford EcoBoost named ‘International Engine of the Year’
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ord’s new one-litre EcoBoost engine—which was launched to widespread acclaim this year in the Ford Focus, in Europe— is named 2012 ‘International Engine of the Year’. The small, high-tech, three-cylinder engine also received two other awards— “Best New Engine” and “Best Engine Under one-litre”—in the awards presented by Engine Technology International magazine, based on votes cast by 76 journalists from 35 countries around the world. This is the first time Ford has won International Engine of the Year in the 13-year history of the awards. Ford’s debut as International Engine of the Year winner in the awards’ 13-year history is marked by the one-litre EcoBoost engine also attaining the highest score ever. Ford Global Powertrain Vice President, Joe Bakaj said, “We set the bar incredibly high when we started to design this
engine. We wanted to deliver eye-popping fuel economy, surprising performance, quietness and refinement—and all from a very small, three-cylinder engine. The team responded to this challenge with some really exciting innovation and the result is a game-changer for petrol engines globally.” The International Engine of the Year judging panel of automotive journalists consider drivability, performance, economy, refinement and the successful application of advanced engine technology. The popularity of the one-litre EcoBoost with judges saw it receive 28 percent more points than its closest rival as well as the highest points total of any engine in the competition’s history.
One-Litre EcoBoost Engine The one-litre EcoBoost uses low-inertia turbos to deliver power quickly when the throttle is opened from low RPM and deliver high power at turbine
speeds of up to 248,000 RPM. Further, the one-litre EcoBoost innovations include an exhaust manifold that is cast into the cylinder head to lower the temperature of exhaust gases to enable the optimum fuel-to-air ratio across a wider rev band; a unique cast iron block that warms the engine more quickly than a conventional aluminium block to cut by 50 percent the amount of “warm-up” energy required, and cut fuel consumption; two main engine drive belts are immersed in oil to deliver a quieter, more efficient engine and finally offsetting the engine configuration by deliberately “unbalancing” the f lywheel and pulley instead of adding energ y-draining balancer shafts. Development of the awardwinning engine—small enough to fit on an A4 sheet of paper—was led by the UK’s Dunton technical Centre in Essex, with assistance from other Ford European techni-
cal centres. The engine is built in Ford’s plants in Craiova, Romania, and Cologne, Germany. The EcoBoost engine debuted this year on the Ford Focus in Europe and will be offered next in the Ford C-MAX and Ford B-Max later this year. The one-litre EcoBoost will be made available in Ford models in the US and in Asia Pacific and Africa next year. The new Focus one-litre EcoBoost 100PS delivers best-in-class fuel efficiency of 58.9mpg and CO2 emissions of 109g/km. The 125PS model returns 56.5 mpg with CO2 emissions of 114g/km. In its first full month of sales across Europe, more than 4,700 customers ordered a Focus onelitre EcoBoost, accounting for nearly a quarter of all Ford Focus cars ordered in Ford’s 19 traditional European markets. Ford of Europe plans to triple
Ford one-litre EcoBoost engine wins 2012 International Engine of the Year
annual production of vehicles equipped with efficient EcoBoost petrol engines to approximately 480,000 by 2015, from 141,000 in 2011. The company projects that more than 300,000 of those vehicles will be equipped with the one-litre EcoBoost.
Honda to recycle rare earths to be green
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onda will start recycling rare earths and other key materials in hybrid auto batteries this year. Japan is dependent on imports, mostly from China, for rare earth elements, which are essential for making high-tech products, but a steady supply has been periodically threatened over political disputes with China. Beijing, meanwhile, has defended its export curbs on rare earths as an environmental measure and rejected a WTO challenge by the United States, Europe and Japan. China has about 30 percent of rare earths deposits but accounts for more than 90 percent of production. Honda officials said the company was targeting September or October to begin recycling of rare earths. They said it would be a first for the auto industry. Honda’s efforts to reduce pollution and global warming, including experimental projects to combine solar with its fuel-cell cars, is meant to derive energy solely from nature and emit just water. Fuel cells are powered by the energy created when hydrogen combines with oxygen to produce water. They are still too expensive for commercial use and remain experimental. Honda’s roots lie in its determination to develop a fuel-efficient gasoline engine to clear US pollution-control regulations of the 1970s. The maker of the Odyssey minivan, Asimo humanoid robot and Super Cub motorcycle is undergoing a strong recovery from a disasterbattered 2011, a rebound playing out at other Japanese automakers, including Toyota and Nissan. Honda’s January-March profit rose 61 percent from the previous year and it is projecting record global sales of 4.3 million vehicles for this fiscal year. The earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan in March 2011 disrupted the supply of auto parts and sent sales plunging and battered profitability at all the Japanese automakers.