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Making its global debut at the 2011
Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the Ford Evos Concept represents the
ultimate expression of Ford’s new global design language, and explores
key future powertrain and vehicle technologies.
Created as a bespoke concept vehicle,
the fastback introduces Ford’s first truly global design language as the
momentum of the company’s One Ford product plan continues to build.
Ford Evos Concept is not just a
design-led exercise. It also embodies the global Ford product
development team's move to design and develop vehicles as more than just
an interior and exterior, or a collection of attributes.
"Our goal is to focus on enriching a
customer's every experience with their vehicle – by personalising it,
adapting it, and creating unique, unexpected features that surprise and
delight them," said Kuzak. "In the Ford Evos Concept, this objective is
explored and extended to the area of connectivity, where the intent is
not to convert the vehicle into a smartphone, but rather to provide
personalised and safe connection to the outside world in an enriching
manner designed totally for the vehicle context."
Ford's global Research and Innovation
team, led by Paul Mascarenas, was tasked with building Evos Concept
around a technology experience as visionary as the design. The result
signals how Ford intends to build on the momentum of innovations like
the SYNC in-car connectivity system.
“At Ford, the future of technology in
the car will be defined by the experience that it delivers to the driver
and passengers,” said Paul Mascarenas, chief technical officer and vice
president of Ford Research and Innovation. “We see technology as more
than just an impressive list of microprocessors, sensors and software;
it’s about the application of that technology to create an experience
that enhances the driver’s time behind the wheel.”
The concept’s technology experience
embraces a new generation of driver interaction and awareness currently
under development in the Ford Research and Innovation laboratories.
Seamless connectivity between the vehicle and the driver’s ‘personal
cloud’ of information is at the heart of the vision for its
capabilities.
“The possibilities are fascinating when
we explore how to enable a seamless lifestyle between home, office and
car linked by access to the driver’s personal information,” Mascarenas
said.
With information from the cloud, the
vehicle can provide the same connected lifestyle the driver experiences
at home or office. The car knows the driver, and automatically adapts
handling, steering and engine controls to deliver an exceptionally
dynamic driving experience.
Ford researchers are focusing their
efforts in this area to deliver on four key customer benefits:
personalisation, seamless enhancement of the driving experience, looking
after the driver’s well-being and delivering smart electrified
powertrain optimisation.
The personalised,
cloud-connected lifestyle
While today’s Ford products provide
drivers with many personalisation options, cloud connectivity will
enable future Ford vehicles to take the experience to the next level.
Drawing from a detailed understanding
of the driver’s preferences and driving habits, the Ford Evos Concept
combines this personal information with additional data from the cloud,
such as the driver’s work schedule and local traffic or weather
conditions. This information provides a personalised and seamless
experience as the driver transitions in and out of the car.
“We’re researching how we can use
patterns or preferences set by the driver to make life simpler,” said
Mascarenas. “The car gets to know you and can act as a personal
assistant to handle some of the usual routines of a daily commute.”
It could automatically play the same
music or news program that was just streaming at home, or heat or cool
the interior to an ideal temperature before the driver gets in without
having to be requested by predicting departure time based on his
calendar. Wirelessly communicating with devices in the home, it could
close the garage door and switch off the lights automatically as it
pulls away.
“This cloud-connected vision shows the
enormous potential of tailoring the driving experience to suit the exact
personal tastes and moods of the driver,” said Mascarenas. “From
recommending a great driving road from friends on your social networks
or resetting your alarm clock to let you sleep in when a morning meeting
gets cancelled!”
Completing the vision for the Ford Evos
Concept is a state-of-the-art lithium-ion plug-in hybrid (PHEV)powertrain
providing the same next-generation performance and fuel economy as the
Ford C-MAX Energi scheduled for introduction in North America in 2012
and Europe in 2013.
Ford ‘powersplit’ hybrid architecture
allows the electric motor and petrol engine to work together or
separately to maximise efficiency. The advanced powertrain typically
runs in all-electric mode before switching to charge-sustaining hybrid
mode for continued optimal fuel efficiency.
Cloud connectivity would provide
further opportunities to enhance performance and efficiency by selecting
the optimum combination of powertrain modes for any given journey.
“Access to historical driver behaviour
and travel patterns allows us to calculate the optimal fuel and energy
efficiency by predicting the destination,” said Mascarenas. “Our
researchers are working to increase understanding of driver behaviour,
develop accurate protocols to predict it and enhance the trip by
providing the smartest use of fuel or battery for the situation.”
The cloud-optimised powertrain would
automatically ‘know’ when to save energy and switch modes, using
information about the vehicle’s predicted travel route, any emission
zone restrictions during the journey and current weather conditions.
In the future, communities may place
firm restrictions on the types of vehicles allowed to use certain roads
or highway lanes, and some city centres may choose to be open only to
full electric vehicles. Helping drivers comply with such regulations
could therefore be among the benefits of this technology. For example,
the French government is considering creating zones mandating lower
emissions, while cities such as London, Berlin, and Stockholm already
have them in place.
This capability would further enhance
the performance of Ford’s advanced PHEV technology, which offers an
overall driving range of more than 500 miles (800 kilometres) using the
battery and engine – more than any other plug-in or extended-range
electric vehicle.
“With its leading-edge
‘cloud-optimised’ PHEV powertrain offering outstanding efficiency and
range with supreme driving enjoyment, the Ford Evos Concept highlights
our vision for greener, smarter vehicles with outstanding customer
appeal,” said Kuzak.
Reflecting the fun-to-drive spirit of
its exterior design, the interior of the Ford Evos Concept is built
around the driver. A stylish and innovative cockpit promises new levels
of driving pleasure and driver interaction.
The interior architecture features
clean and simple surfaces, with a muscular, athletic character to the
slim upper instrument panel, enhanced by bold trapezoidal cut-outs.
Contrasting these muscular forms, curvaceous cockpit display surfaces
sweep down either side of the driver, providing secondary information
about vehicle and infotainment systems.
The concept features a bold red
driver’s seat and the vision of unprecedented driver interaction via an
advanced driver interface. The two rear seat passengers get an equally
special experience, with dedicated touch-screen displays to interact
with the vehicle and individually adjustable sports seats.
“Both the exterior and interior of the
Ford Evos Concept clearly communicate that this is a driver’s car, so
that as soon as people see the vehicle, they will immediately want to
get in and drive,” said executive design director Moray Callum. |
