In a move to improve efficiency and lower pollution, Ford has revealed plans to manufacture its smallest ever engine. The 1.0 litre three cylinder EcoBoost unit is another powertrain addition to the Ford engine family which will ultimately look to improve the company's carbon footprint.
Developed in Europe, this new economical engine is the smallest Ford has ever built, but will return incredibly impressive results. Despite featuring only three cylinders, Ford says that the turbocharged 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine will provide the torque and power of a 1.6 litre four-cylinder unit.
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“No one has ever built a three-cylinder engine quite like this,” says Joe Bakaj, Ford’s Global Powertrain Engineering Chief. “It's one of the most technically advanced and efficient engines we've ever designed. The new engine introduces many new technologies that could be part of the DNA of future Ford engines.”
The EcoBoost engine has already been confirmed for use in the new Ford B-MAX, and is expected to feature in future models of the Ka and Fiesta.
According to Ford, the new 1.0 litre engines will feature:
- An offset crankshaft that helps improve fuel economy
- 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
- EcoBoost technologies, such as turbocharging, direct injection and twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT)
Ford says it is on track to feature EcoBoost engines on 90 percent of its North American vehicle line-up by 2013 and believes production of these engines will reach 1.5 million units globally.
