Seeing that the 2009 Detroit Auto Show was dominated by electric car technology, I lucked out to score the second of my two interviews with Nancy Gioia, Ford’s Global Director of Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid Programs. My goal was to look into what the coming years will bring with specific regard to Ford’s electric car efforts. As with other automakers, electrification has a past (the Ford Electric Ranger), a present (the current Ford electric-hybrids), and a future. Our conversation was inspiring. As it turns out, a full-fledged market-ready Ford electric car is neither far-fetched, nor far off …
Month: January 2009
Ford EcoBoost
I had the good fortune to sit down with Barb Samardzich, Ford’s Vice President of Powertrain Engineering at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show with the camera rolling. I’ve been intrigued by Ford’s decision to aggressively pursue their EcoBoost (turbocharged direct-injection) here in the States, rather than take the diesel route. We shot this candid discussion in one take, in a conference room in the second floor of Ford’s sprawling booth. While there was no editing of the flow of the conversation, I took the liberty of cutting away to supporting displays in the booth to liven things up.
Truck Gas Mileage
Pickup truck gas mileage is ripe for improvement. With today’s most fuel efficient small pickup trucks only reaching the mid-twenty mile per gallon (MPG) range on the highway, it’s clear that there’s much work to be done. At one point in time, not all that long ago, America had a domestically produced 45 MPG pickup truck. Decades later, the best truck gas mileage we can do is roughly half that amount. It’s sad but true.
One basic change could be made to improve our trucks gas mileage results: replace the gasoline engines with diesels. But as of this writing, not one manufacturer has committed to selling a small pickup truck with a diesel here in the United States. The problem, in many ways, is related to our country’s lack of a coherent energy policy that would put diesel fuel on the same footing as gasoline. Per gallon pricing is the barrier … and the opportunity.
AWD Gas Mileage
There’s no better time then the dead of winter to test AWD gas mileage. (As I write this, I’m in the midst of reviewing an AWD 2009 Mazda CX-7 GT. While the official estimates are par for the course, I’ve been able to exceed the numbers on the window sticker.) Unfortunately, AWD gas mileage is nearly always lower than the FWD variant … when all four wheels are driven, fuel economy always suffers. It comes down to simple physics. Even the best gas mileage AWDs top out in the 30 mile per gallon (MPG) highway range.
A good number of the current AWD gas mileage champs use hybrid technology. I’ve put the Lexus 400h, Ford Escape Hybrid, and Toyota Highlander Hybrid to the gas mileage test over the past year and have achieved excellent results with each vehicle.
2009 Detroit Auto Show: Concept Cars
Concept cars have always been a huge focus of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), and 2009 was no exception. While the sheer number of concept cars may have been down compared to previous years, the 2009 Detroit Auto Show played host to an impressive array of vehicles. MPGomatic’s NAIAS concept car coverage provides … Read more