Ford powers to engine win

A small powertrain fitted to some Fords, including the new Fiesta Sport in New Zealand, has been crowned International Engine of the Year for the third year in a row. The marque’s one-litre EcoBoost engine, which lowers fuel consumption without sacrificing power, also won its size category award at 2014’s Engine Expo in Stuttgart. Launched in Europe in 2012 with the Focus, it’s now available in nine more Fords – the Fiesta, B-MAX, EcoSport, C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, Tourneo Connect and Courier, and Transit Connect and Courier. EcoBoost-equipped vehicles account for one-in-five of all Fords sold in 20 traditional European markets. The marque’s facilities in Cologne, Germany and Craiova, Romania, produce a new EcoBoost engine every 42 seconds and recently passed 500,000 units. Fords equipped with it are now available in 72 countries worldwide, with the company recently starting production of the one-litre EcoBoost in Chongqing, China. Its compact, low-inertia turbocharger spins at up to 248,000rpm – more than 4,000 times per second and almost twice the maximum rpm of turbochargers in current Formula One cars. Its 140PS turbocharger delivers 1.6 bar (24 psi) of boost pressure. Peak firing pressure of 124 bar (1,800 psi) equates to a five-tonne African elephant standing on the piston. With a cast-iron block small enough to fit in a plane’s overhead luggage compartment, the engine has an aluminium cylinder head with an integrated exhaust manifold that lowers exhaust temperatures for optimised fuel-to-air ratio. An innovative flywheel and front-pulley design delivers improved refinement. Engine friction is reduced by coated pistons, low-tension piston rings, low-friction crank seals and a cam-belt-in-oil design. A variable displacement oil pump tailors lubrication to demand and optimises oil pressure for improved fuel efficiency. The one-litre EcoBoost has now scooped 13 major awards. It took out the International Paul Pietsch Award 2013 for technological innovation in Germany, the Dewar Trophy from the Royal Automobile Club in the UK and, in the US, the Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics magazine. Ford was also the first marque to win a Ward’s 10 Best Engines trophy for a three-cylinder unit. “To deliver the complete package of fuel economy, surprising performance, quietness and refinement, we knew this engine would be a game changer,” says Bob Fascetti, vice-president of powertrain engineering. “The EcoBoost continues to set the benchmark for power combined with efficiency from a small petrol engine.” Dean Slavnich, co-chairman of the 16th International Engine of the Year Awards, adds: “This year’s competition was the fiercest yet, but the EcoBoost continues to stand out for refinement, flexibility and efficiency. It’s one of the finest examples of powertrain engineering.”