New Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine to develop 125bhp

Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally today launched production of Ford’s smallest petrol engine – a 1.0-litre, turbocharged, direct injection EcoBoost engine – developed by UK engineers.  It will debut in Europe in early 2012 and ultimately be available worldwide.

The 1.0-litre, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine will be available in the all-new Ford Focus and will produce 125PS while delivering a combined fuel economy of 56.5mpg and ultra-low petrol CO₂ emissions performance of 114g/km – a level unmatched by Focus competitors.  A 100PS version of the same engine will deliver outright best-in-class petrol CO₂ emissions of 109g/km.  This engine will also feature in the Ford C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, plus the new Ford B-MAX which enters production in mid 2012. 

"The new 1.0-litre EcoBoost and our entire family of EcoBoost engines – represent technology breakthroughs that deliver power, fuel efficiency and low CO₂ emissions through turbocharging and direct injection,” Mulally said. “These engines are delivering the fuel-efficient vehicles customers want and value."

Ford has invested £110 million to develop a special high-tech line at the Cologne Engine Plant to build the engine. The plant’s 870 employees will build up to 350,000 units a year of the new engine.

European production capacity could increase to up to 700,000 units per year as production of the small EcoBoost engine at Cologne is joined by Ford’s new engine plant in Craiova, Romania, in early 2012. In the years ahead, Ford anticipates production to expand outside of Europe to deliver global capacity of up to 1.3 million 1.0-litre EcoBoost engines per year. 

The new small EcoBoost petrol engine

This new EcoBoost engine delivers performance to rival a traditional 1.6-litre engine, with significantly improved fuel efficiency and lower CO₂ emissions. The 1.0-litre EcoBoost cylinder block can fit onto a sheet of A4 paper but delivers up to 125PS and 170Nm peak torque (with 200Nm overboost), giving it the highest power density of any Ford production engine to date.

“The new 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is a true collaboration from start to finish, with expertise from Ford specialists across Europe leveraged in designing both the engine and the cutting-edge facility in which it will be produced,” said Stephen Odell, chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe.

“This will be reflected in the class-leading European CO₂ emissions of the new 1.0-litre EcoBoost Ford Focus when it debuts in early 2012; low emissions that will be achieved alongside the spirited and refined performance that customers expect from Ford.”

Graham Hoare, European executive powertrain director with engineers based at Dunton and Dagenham, added:  "This is the third addition to our acclaimed EcoBoost engine family.  Joining the 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre EcoBoost engines which span 150PS to above 200PS, this 1.0-litre EcoBoost signals a new era of downsized, super-frugal engines for the sub-130PS segment.  During development our UK engineers focused onimproving thermal efficiency and reducing friction of the engine's internal moving parts, especially during warm-up."

Britain leads on European product development of engines and transmissions at Dunton Technical Centre, in Essex, with up to 2,000,000 engines including the 1.6 EcoBoost assembled annually at Bridgend and Dagenham.

High-tech EcoBoost production

The advanced EcoBoost production facility at Ford’s Cologne Engine Plant was designed by Ford’s Manufacturing Engineering team, Dunton, UK, using Ford's Virtual Manufacturing laboratory, to offer maximum flexibility and efficiency. Nearly 100 new machining units and a 580-metre purpose-built assembly line have been installed.

Fifty-five automated and 14 semi-automated processes are used, alongside 90 work stations for skilled employees, helping to ensure the highest standards of quality and consistency in production. The technology is capable of machining to an accuracy of 10 microns, 10 to 20 per cent the width of a human hair.

Ford has introduced new manufacturing techniques that reduce the volume of coolant required when machining aluminiumengine parts to just four or five millilitresper component from a previous requirement of up to twolitres, a reduction of more than 99 per cent that contributes to a reduced environmental footprint from manufacturing.

New “cold testing” technology allows completed engines to be tested without being started - reducing fuel usage and CO₂ emissions from the process by 66 per cent – while 100 per cent of the remaining energy required to run the plant comes from renewable sources. Total electricity demands have been reduced by 66 per cent compared with production of Ford’s 4.0-litre V6 engine, which ends today at Cologne Engine Plant.