- Ford will launch three more EcoBoost engines, including a 3.5-liter V6 and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder.
- Ford is also studying the development of EcoBoost engines smaller than 1.6 liters.
- EcoBoost will now be available in 11 models.
DETROIT — Ford announced on Monday that it will launch three more of its fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines, including a 3.5-liter V6 for the Ford F-150 and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder for the next-generation Ford Explorer and Edge. The expansion of the EcoBoost lineup comes as fuel prices creep closer to the $3 mark.
Ford also confirmed that it is also studying the developing of EcoBoost engines smaller than 1.6 liters, as automakers race to meet the federal government's new 35.5-mpg fuel economy standard.
Ford said the next three EcoBoost engines will also include a 1.6-liter four-cylinder in the European C-Max. The three engines are expected to be launched by the end of 2010. The Dearborn automaker said in a statement that by 2013 it expects to be building approximately 1.5 million EcoBoost engines globally, about "200,000 more than originally expected."
More EcoBoost production plans will be revealed on Tuesday at the SAE World Congress here.
The three new engines will increase the number of global nameplates available with EcoBoost to 11. EcoBoost is available now in the Ford Flex and Taurus, as well as the Lincoln MKS and MKT. The technology bundles direct fuel injection, variable cam timing and turbocharging to cut fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and reduce vehicle weight, while offering the performance of a bigger engine.
Ford's pledge to equip as much as 90 percent of its North American nameplates with EcoBoost comes at a time when gas prices are beginning to rise again. The AAA Daily Fuel Gauge pegs the current average price for a gallon of regular gas at $2.86. A month ago, the price was $2.78.
Inside Line says: Look for more expansion of the EcoBoost lineup in the future as Ford continues to embrace the fuel-saving technology. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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hekiii says:
11:57 AM, 05/04/2012
Does anyone else see the real meaning in all of this? The ECO Boost engines are direct injection with variable electronics/timing. They run a cold plug, have beefed up crank, pistons, valves and push rods. There is a lot of aluminum in the engines and they are put together with heavy gaskets to run higher compression and internal pressures. They have a rail system and crankcase pressure relief. All of this means... with the right set of injectors and the correct flash of the engine electronics for timing and a few other variables... these things can run gasoline, CNG, propane, or the big one...hydrogen. The design is consistent with that of the Ford Tri-FLEX engine. ECO Boost will be delivered running gasoline but will be convertible to CNG, propane, or hydrogen with minimal effort. My bet is that as gasoline becomes even more expensive, Ford will offer factory/dealer conversion.
gmc2500hd1 says:
06:14 PM, 06/03/2011
I live in Toledo, Ohio. Lastyear I seen a manufacturer plated F-150 at a gas staion. The guy was filling putting diesel in it. Anyone know about this?
martinex says:
11:19 PM, 11/07/2010
Ford has finally come out with a decent engine (anybody remember the 3.9 Liter V6?) and people are still complaining. P.S. the last time I checked diesel was about 20 cents a gallon more than Super Unleaded. As far as Americans and small cars, Honda and Toyota seem to be doing pretty well in the U.S. Market. When American manufacturers start building decent small cars, Americans will buy them. Don't throw a Cobalt in our faces and say "See? Americans hate small cars." No! We hated the freakin' Cobalt.
damonart says:
12:38 AM, 04/13/2010
Why an ecoboost instead of a small diesel?
If I remember correctly, the added cost of a powerstroke diesel on the F250 is around 5K
while the added cost of the ecoboost V6 in Ford's cars is around 1k.
Plus the ecoboost has a nearly flat torque curve (like a diesel).
And as mentioned previously, the development is paid for.
eki79 says:
11:45 PM, 04/12/2010
"$5/gallon doesn't sit well."
I wish gas would cost 5$/gallon here in Finland... :)
*with a quick calculation, the current price is 6,92 / gallon*
bankerdanny says:
07:00 PM, 04/12/2010
gbriank: As a 40 something guy, I remember the 70's-80's GM diesels, but I really don't think that they are affecting perception any more. VW has shown that you can sella a diesel car in the US. One of the domestics just needs to show some courage. I would love to see a diesel Focus or Fusion to compete with the Golf/Jetta.
jtonkin says:
06:47 PM, 04/12/2010
Has anyone heard of the 4.4L diesel? That thing was in development forever. Haven't heard much about it since 2008. Not sure if they finally killed it. They had a lot of problems with it for some reason. Now with the ecoboost confirmed, the final nail in the 4.4L's coffin seems to have been set.
gbriank says:
02:25 PM, 04/12/2010
@bankerdanny I agree that diesels are the way to go. Unfortunately, you have a large group of baby boomers whom still have a bad taste in their mouths from the 80's diesels (aka bored out gasoline engines). I would prefer to own a diesel. They are more efficient and can run on a range of fuels.
As for why they think the Eco-Boost F150 will sell, people remember back to the summer of 2008. $5/gallon doesn't sit well. With prices headed back up, Ford will market this engine as "environmentally friendly" and "resistant to higher fuel prices". Personally, I believe the days of sub-$2.50 gas are coming to an end (either by higher cost of fuel, or more fuel taxes that are coming down the pike in the next year or so).
@half-ton Ford is trying to differentiate itself from other brands with....another trademarked name (Eco-Boost). Ugh!
@ed124c The new Explorer will be car based (no more frame on body). If memory serves, its going to shed around 500 lbs. Still quite hefty for a 2.0l engine. I agree, a small displacement V6 would be a better choice (2.8 liter).
bankerdanny says:
01:09 PM, 04/12/2010
I understand that the ecoboost is more powerful than the base V8 that Ford has offered for quite a while (and much more than the V6 it used to offer).
But this is an uphill battle. Americans in general don't like small cars and they don't like 6's in full size PU's.
Diesels on the other hand, especially Ford and Dodge, have done well. I don't buy the argument about certification. Ford has a ton of small diesel experience in Europe. There is no reason that it couldn't develope a smaller version of the Power Stroke. I would be much more confident of an engine like that selling well in the US before a gas version.
Now if we were talking about an Expedition replacement, that would be different. I think the ecoboost 6 would sell well in a vehicle like that.
ocramidajzj says:
12:19 PM, 04/12/2010
I think offering an Ecoboost engine across all of their products is a good idea, both from a marketing and engineering POV. Marketing wise it presents a compelling MPG edge as well as a "high performance" cache that is typically associated with turbo engines. I actually like the "Eco-Boost" label. It conveys a green quality without sacraficing performance. If you thnk about it all Ford is doing is marletizing turbo engines for the masses.
From an engineering and quality standpoint it's always a good idea to share parts/platforms across products since it offers a wider range of use scenerios as well as a large population for failure analysis. Dropping this engine in high performance passenger vehicles as well as trucks that are exposed to high levels of abuse (expected) and use day by day will ultimately yield a more reliable design. There's also the cost benefit of using the same designs over a wider population the leverage economy of scale. IMO