Green Cars, Hybrid Cars, Electric Cars and Clean Diesel News

Ford Focus Expands Choice of Green Powertrains in Europe

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 04:56:00 -0500

Ford is adding two additional green powertrain options for the new Focus for European market available in the near future: a E85 Flexifuel 1.6-liter Duratec engine and the PowerShift automatic with dual dry-clutch technology.

The all-new Ford Focus is now available with a unique Flexifuel model which allows customers to take advantage of green E85 fuel containing bio-ethanol.

Ford was the first vehicle manufacturer in Europe to offer production passenger vehicles with Flexifuel technology, and the Focus Flexifuel model was launched in Sweden in 2001. A full range of Ford Flexifuel vehicles is now available across a number of different European markets.

Because bio-ethanol is a regenerative energy source produced from renewable biomass, using E85 fuel can result in a significant reduction in overall CO2 emissions over the life cycle of a vehicle – without any compromise to performance and driving pleasure.

Using a modified version of the 1.6-liter Duratec Ti-VCT petrol engine, the new 120PS Flexifuel Focus replaces the 1.8-liter model which was available in the previous Focus range.

The Flexifuel version of the new Focus can be fuelled with either bio-ethanol E85 fuel or conventional unleaded petrol, or with any mix of the two, so that customers can refuel their vehicle with whatever grade is available.

To suit the particular characteristics of E85 fuel, the 1.6-liter Ti-VCT engine has been extensively modified with an upgraded fuel system and revised fuel injectors, hardened valves and valve seats, and a revised exhaust system and catalyst.

The 120PS Flexifuel engine delivers virtually identical performance figures to the conventional 125PS version, while the Flexifuel model achieves CO2 emissions of 132 g/km (running on E85 fuel) compared to 136 g/km for the 125PS engine.

The Ford Focus Flexifuel will enter production this summer. The largest European market will be Sweden, where sales of the Focus Flexifuel totalled over 10,000 units from 2008-2010. The model will also be available in a wide range of markets where E85 fuel is available, including Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland and Spain.

PowerShift automatic with dual dry-clutch technology
New Ford Focus models with the 125PS 1.6-liter Duratec Ti-VCT petrol engine can now be specified with the high-efficiency 6-speed Ford PowerShift automatic transmission with dual dry-clutch technology.

Compared to the 100PS 1.6-litrer automatic model in the previous Focus, the new Focus 1.6 with PowerShift has cut CO2 emissions by 19 percent to 149g/km, and now achieves an average fuel consumption of 6.4 liters/100km (44.1mpg UK). At the same time, the 0-100km/h acceleration time is reduced from 13.6 to 11.7 seconds.

The new gearbox uses the same state-of-the-art dual-clutch concept as the PowerShift transmission which is already available in European Ford vehicles with more powerful diesel and EcoBoost petrol engines. PowerShift transmissions are based on efficient manual transmission technology, eliminating the weight and complexity of a torque converter, planetary gears and the fluid pumps employed in traditional automatics. Electronically controlled, twin internal clutches shift gears quickly and smoothly, providing a seamless flow of torque to the wheels.

Adopting dry clutch technology enables the transmission to be lighter and even more efficient, with a simpler cooling system and energy-saving electro-mechanical actuation for clutches and gear shifts, further benefitting fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

The Ford Focus 1.6 Ti-VCT will be available with the PowerShift transmission in most European markets from late summer 2011.

Buick Regal Turbo Gets Flex-Fuel Capability

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 03:37:00 -0600

General Motors has upgraded the 2.0L inline 4-cylinder in the 2011 Buick Regal Turbo to be capable of running on any blend of gasoline or E85 ethanol.

The 2011 Buick Regal Turbo now joins more than 5 million flex-fuel models that GM has produced over the last 15 years. GM hopes to offer more than 50 per cent of its production fleet in flex-fuel models by the end of 2012.

Compared to earlier versions of the 2.0-liter Ecotec turbo, GM powertrain engineers have significantly upgraded the new engine to accommodate both E85 and to incorporate refinements.

Since ethanol requires a richer air-fuel mixture than gasoline, flex-fuel engines need higher flow-rate injectors. However, a flex-fuel engine can potentially have any combination of gasoline or up to 85 percent ethanol in the tank, so a sensor in the fuel system measures the blend in real-time. This allows the engine management system to automatically adjust the mixture to provide improved performance and reduced emissions and fuel consumption. Stainless steel fuel lines provide extra corrosion resistance to ensure that the Regal Turbo meets GM’s stringent durability requirements.

In the past, improving power output and reducing fuel consumption and emissions were often conflicting goals. By delivering fuel directly to the combustion chamber, the high-pressure injectors can now provide a more precise mixture for optimum combustion.

Turbochargers use the energy in the hot exhaust gas flow to drive a compressor that forces more air into the combustion chamber for on-demand power delivery. The twin-scroll turbocharger on the Ecotec engine provides two inlet paths to the turbine to maximize the kinetic and thermal energy delivered to the turbine.

EPA Approves E15 for Vehicles Made After 2001

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 04:24:00 -0600

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved higher levels of corn-based ethanol to fuel cars and light trucks made from the 2001 model year and later.

The EPA said on Friday that E15 (15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline) is safe for cars and light trucks manufactured after 2001, up from the 10 percent standard now in effect in much of the country.

The agency in October allowed the use of E15 for MY 2007 and newer cars and light trucks. At that time, EPA denied a request to allow the use of E15 for MY 2000 and older vehicles and postponed its decision on the use of E15 in MY 2001 to 2006 cars and light trucks until DOE completed additional testing for those model years.

Increasing the number of vehicles on the road that can use the higher ethanol blend will help the U.S. comply with its mandate to consume 13.95 billion gallons of ethanol in 2011.

The decision was applauded by the ethanol industry. About 60 percent of the fleet of vehicles would be eligible to use E15.

EPA Approves E15 for Use in 2007 and Newer Models

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:35:00 -0500

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved on Wednesday gasoline blends with a higher amount of ethanol as part of an effort to reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels.

The EPA will allow up to 15% ethanol (E15) to be blended with gasoline in motor fuel for use in vehicles of model year 2007 and newer. The current allowable limit is 10%, and remains so for older vehicles.

The Department of Energy is expected to finish tests on E15 for cars and light trucks built from 2001 to 2006 by the end of November. It will give that data to the EPA, which is expected to make a decision on sales of the higher blends for the 2001 to 2006 vehicles soon after receiving the data.

The move is expected to give a boost to corn growers but is opposed by food makers, environmentalists and others.

Under federal law, the U.S. is supposed to sharply increase the amount of alternative fuels by 2022. Ethanol, a byproduct of corn, is the most readily available source.

[source: EPA]

Scania Delivers 85 Ethanol-Powered Buses to Nobina

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 07:20:00 -0500

Scania is delivering 85 ethanol-powered buses to Nobina, which operates on behalf of the Stockholm regional public transport company, Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL). The buses will be equipped with Scania’s third generation five-cylinder 270 hp ethanol diesel engines, which meet Euro 5 and EEV emission standards.

Scania has more than 20 years of experience with ethanol buses. The company has delivered a total of about 700 ethanol buses, more than 600 of them to Swedish cities. In recent years, Scania has also delivered ethanol buses for commercial service in Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Norway and elsewhere.

The company is also testing ethanol-fuelled hybrid buses in the Swedish capital.

Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, has the world’s largest fleet of ethanol buses, and as recently as during the past year, Scania delivered 85 ethanol-powered articulated buses for operation in SL’s service area.

SL’s owner, the Stockholm County Council, has set a target that at least 50 percent of all passenger transport in its territory should occur using renewable fuels by 2012. At the end of 2009, the figure was nearly 30 percent.

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Ford Will Meet Flex-Fuel Vehicles Goal for 2010

Wed, 05 May 2010 08:13:00 -0500

Ford Motor Company said today it will fulfill its 2006 pledge to double the number of 2010 model year flex-fuel vehicles it produces in the U.S. The announcement was made today by Sue Cischke, Ford’s group vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, at the 2010 BIO International Convention in Chicago.

“Flexible-fuel vehicles are a great alternative for our customers because they provide owners with the option to choose between using E-85 and gasoline when filling up a car,” Cischke said. “Ethanol and other biofuels also help reduce the county’s dependence on imported oil.”

Flex-fuel vehicles are capable of running on E-85 (a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), gasoline or any mixture of the two fuels.

More ethanol is now produced and used in the U.S. than the amount of gasoline made from oil imported to the U.S. from Saudi Arabia and Iraq combined.

Ford’s pledge to double the number of 2010 model year flex-fuel vehicles produced in the U.S. is based on the company’s final 2006 model year flex-fuel vehicle production.

Ford produced nearly 185,000 2006 model year flex-fuel vehicles. Assuming incentives continue to encourage the manufacturing, distribution and availability of renewable fuels as well as the production of flexible-fuel vehicles, Ford remains committed to expand flexible-fuel vehicle output to 50 percent of total 2012 model year vehicle production.

Ford currently offers 11 flex-fuel vehicles in the U.S. including the Ford Escape, Fusion, F-150, Crown Victoria, Expedition and E-Series; the Lincoln Navigator and Town Car; and the Mercury Milan, Grand Marquis and Mariner.

“Flexible-fuel vehicles are one of the many environmental technologies Ford is providing customers,” said Cischke. “In addition to biofuels, we also are working on a range of other advanced fuel efficient technologies, including EcoBoost engines, six speed transmissions, clean diesel and electrified vehicles.”

In 2006, Ford, DaimlerChrysler and General Motors all promised to double annual FFV production to 2 million vehicles by 2010.

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Ricardo to Demonstrate Benefits of Extreme Ethanol Optimization

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:36:00 -0600

Ricardo and Growth Energy are to collaborate on a first vehicle-based demonstration of Ricardo's Ethanol Boosted Direct Injection (EBDI) engine technology. Together these two partners aim to demonstrate that a highly optimized engine fueled on ethanol can provide a cost-effective, low-carbon, high-fuel economy alternative to fossil fuel.

Two demonstrator vehicles are to be produced incorporating Ricardo's EBDI engine technology showing that even for larger vehicles extreme optimization of ethanol combustion can enable engine downsizing of the order of 50 percent and still deliver substantial fuel economy and CO2 emission improvements from a cost-effective, high performance, inherently low emission powertrain.

Based on test work already carried out, Ricardo estimates that a fuel economy improvement of up to 30 percent is possible with no loss of power or performance, using a downsized EBDI engine in place of currently available gasoline powertrain technology.

The project will use Ricardo's EBDI flex fuel engine, developed from a production V6 gasoline engine, to repower two GMC Sierra 3500 HD pickup trucks, each with a curb weight of 6,000 pounds. Ricardo and Growth Energy have the objective of demonstrating through this project:

- The market-readiness of Ricardo's EBDI technology, which optimizes flex-fuel vehicles to burn ethanol with consumer value, horsepower and fuel economy that is comparable to gasoline.

- Domestic ethanol's potential as a high-octane, low-carbon and renewable fuel, to lessen American dependence on gasoline refined from carbon-heavy oil imported from overseas at growing risk to U.S. economic and national security.

EBDI: Optimized Power from Renewable Fuel
Ricardo's EBDI engine technology solves many of the shortcomings of current generation flex-fuel engines, which are typically only optimized for gasoline operation and do not make full use of the properties of ethanol. Unlike existing flex-fuel technologies EBDI takes full advantage of ethanol's properties of high octane and latent heat of vaporization to deliver near-diesel levels of engine efficiency at substantially reduced cost.

Ricardo estimates that a fuel economy
improvement of up to 30 percent is
possible with no loss of power or
performance, using a downsized EBDI
engine in place of currently available
gasoline powertrain technology.

For example, a flex-fuel product derived from a standard gasoline engine might suffer a fuel economy penalty of about 30 percent when operating on higher ethanol blends such as E85. The Ricardo EBDI engine addresses this problem by being able to adapt its operation to offer fully optimized flex-fuel performance on any blend of fuel from standard pump gasoline to E85 fuel. It achieves this through the sophisticated application of the latest in boosting technologies, fuelling strategy and combustion control, matching the effective compression ratio and in-cylinder conditions to precisely those required for optimal performance and fuel efficiency. In doing so it offers exceptional fuel economy and high specific performance without the need for complex after-treatment technology to meet current or planned emissions regulations.

The results of test-bed evaluation of the EBDI engine already carried out by Ricardo have demonstrated the potential of this technology to deliver significant fuel-efficiency improvements with uncompromised performance, in particular while operating on high ethanol blends.

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Danish Company to Produce Straw-Based Bioethanol

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:12:00 -0600

Danish company DONG Energy has opened one of the worldâ€™s first and largest bioethanol plants in Kalundborg in Denmark, where bioethanol will be produced on the basis of straw. DONG Energy will officially inaugurate the plant on Wednesday in time to serve as a showcase of Danish environmental technology before a U.N. climate conference in the Danish capital next month.

Part of the fleet of cars that will be used for transporting delegates around Copenhagen during the conference will be running on plant’s bioethanol mixed with gasoline.

First 5 million liters has already been sold to Norway's Statoil, which will sell the bioethanol at its service stations.

“We aim to offer a solution to help solve the carbon emission challenge facing the transport sector. Our bioethanol plant will demonstrate that we are capable of producing so-called second generation bioethanol on the basis of waste products. If our technology is well received by the global markets, new opportunities of export will evolve”, said Anders Eldrup, CEO of DONG Energy.

The plant run will convert 30,000 metric tons of straw to produce 5.4 million liters of bioethanol yearly, 13,000 metric tons of lignin pellets to burn at power plants and 11,000 metric tons of C5 molasses for animal feed.

The new fuel can replace gasoline in vehicles and the biopellets can substitute for coal at power plants, DONG said.

[source: DONG Energy]

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Dacia Launches Bioethanol-Fuelled Logan MCV in France

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:31:00 -0600

Dacia has extended its lineup of vehicles capable of running on alternative fuels with E85 bioethanol-compatible version of the Dacia Logan MCV in France. Dacia Logan MCV 1.6 16v 105 Bioethanol benefits from attractive tax incentives, since its CO2 emissions are reduced by 40 percent when calculating where the vehicle stands in terms of the eco-bonus/surcharge scheme operating in France.

Dacia Logan MCV Bioethanol contributes to the respect of the environment with CO2 emissions of 116g CO2/km. Dacia Logan MCV 1.6 16v 105 Bioethanol which qualifies for the Dacia eco2 signature joins Dacia's line-up of economical, environmentally-respectful vehicles alongside Dacia Sandero dCi 70 and dCi 85 (120g of CO2/km), Dacia Sandero and Dacia Logan 1.2 16v (139g of CO2/km) and Dacia Sandero and Logan 1.4 MPI 75 LPG (135g of CO2/km).

Under the bonnet there is a 105 hp version of the Renault 1.6-liter four cylinder. The1.6 16V 105 E85 engine boasts maximum power of 77kW (105hp) at 5,750rpm, and peak torque of 148Nm at 3,750rpm, enabling Dacia Logan MCV 1.6 16V 105 Bioethanol to accelerate from standstill to 100kph in 11.8 seconds for a top speed of 174kph.

With 90 percent of peak torque available from as low as 2,000rpm, it is both feisty and enjoyable to drive, while acceleration is particularly smooth with no flat spots, even at either low- or mid-engine speeds.

Fuel consumption has not suffered either, since this 16-valve version of the 1.6-liter engine claims combined-cycle fuel consumption of just 7.5 liters/100km or 31.36mpg U.S. (running on pure petrol). The 1.6 16V 105 Bioethanol engine drives through a JR-type five-speed gearbox.

With French tax incentives, the Logan MCV starts at €11,200. Dacia Logan MCV 1.6 16v 105 Bioethanol comes with a three-year or 100,000km warranty.

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GM Updated HUMMER H3 and H3T With New Flex-Fuel V8

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:59:00 -0600

HUMMER has updated the 2010 HUMMER H3 and H3T models with three new exterior colors and an available E85 Flex Fuel capable 5.3L V8 engine as part of its commitment to offer a biofuel powertrain in all body styles by 2010. Both H3-based vehicles will begin arriving in dealerships before the end of 2009 in North America.

"In 2007, HUMMER committed to offer a biofuel powertrain in every vehicle by 2010 and follows through on that promise with the addition of a new 300-horsepower, E85 Flex Fuel capable 5.3L V8," says James Taylor, HUMMER CEO. "This is just the first step in HUMMER's evolution to offer responsible, yet highly capable all-terrain vehicles. Future models will be lighter, more efficient and will continue to offer the best blend of off-road capability and on-road performance."

The new 5.3L V8 Flex Fuel engine is standard in all 2010 Alpha series' models and is a powerful and efficient member of GM's legendary small-block V-8 family. It is rated at 300 horsepower (224 kW) and 320 lb.-ft. of torque (434 Nm). An aluminum cylinder block is used with the H3 Alpha's engine. It helps reduce overall mass and maintains a more desirable front-to-rear weight balance.

A Hydra-Matic 4L60 electronically controlled four-speed automatic transmission is paired with the 5.3L engine. Flat towing is enabled on all H3 and H3T models.

HUMMER also continues to expand customer choice with the introduction of three new premium colors for 2010, which include Red Rock Metallic, Silver Stone Metallic, and Canyon Metallic.

The H3 and H3T feature an extensive list of standard equipment, including full-time electronic four-wheel drive; Hill Start Assist; Stabilitrak electronic stability control system; four-wheel anti-lock brakes with traction control; roof-rail side curtain airbags and dual-stage frontal air bags with passenger sensing system; tire pressure monitoring system; OnStar; bluetooth hands-free capability and HUMMER's premium five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty plan.

Pricing for the 2010 model year H3 remains unchanged from 2009, with a starting MSRP of $33,390. H3T pricing begins at $30,915, a slight $165 increase from 2009. HUMMER has lowered the 2010 H3T Alpha price $335 with a new MSRP of $35,680. All 2010 models also include destination charges of $780.

The 2010 HUMMER H3 and H3T are scheduled to arrive in dealerships in December 2009.

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