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| Ford, BP pursuing bio-fuel solutions
Ford Motor Company is stepping up its research and development of advanced and alternative powertrain systems to explore several alternative fuel solutions | |||
| 16 Feb 2007
: Ford Motor Company is stepping up its research and development of advanced and alternative powertrain systems to explore several alternative fuel solutions. At the Washington Auto Show last month, Ford unveiled some of its alternative powertrain solutions, including a plug-in hybrid Edge, powered by the company’s industry-first HySeries™ that combines a hydrogen fuel cell with a hybrid-electric propulsion system. Ford also showcased its Escape Hybrid E85, which combines hybrid technology with a flex-fuel vehicle; Ford will produce 20 for fleets in six different states. The company also has Focus Fuel Cell Vehicles and hydrogen internal combustion engines on the road, and the 2008 Super Duty features the new Powerstroke engine with new diesel technology. "Since there isn't merely one alternative fuel solution, we want to have the right mix of technologies in order to use all types of renewable energy," said Dick Baker, Ford Powertrain technical specialist. "We are aggressively analyzing all of the fuel and powertrain options for performance and cost trade-offs." A 2005 federal law mandates that gasoline producers gradually increase their use of ethanol and other bio fuels from 15 billion liters (4 billion gallons) per year in 2006 to 28.4 billion liters (7.5 billion gallons) per year in 2012. President Bush, in his recent State of the Union address, proposed going further by requiring 132.5 billion liters (35 billion gallons) of alternative and renewable fuels by 2017. Bush wants to reduce gasoline use by 20 percent over the next 10 years -- compared to the Department of Energy's projection based on current usage. Ford has committed to doubling the number of flex-fuel vehicles (FFV) in its lineup by 2010, and, if the market dictates, the company will commit to expanding its FFV output to 50 percent of its total vehicle production by 2012. Moreover, Ford is among 70 companies, agriculture and forestry groups endorsing a campaign dubbed "25x25," which advocates that one-quarter of energy in the U.S. comes from agricultural sources by 2025. Possible sources include bio-fuels like ethanol, bio-energy from processed animal manure and agricultural waste, and wind and solar power produced on agricultural lands. Currently, these sources account for less than 4 percent of the nation's energy mix. Meanwhile, Ford is pushing the government to provide incentives for increased production and broader distribution of bio-fuels, and the creation of a long-term plan for cellulosic ethanol production from crops such as switch grass and sugar cane. "(Alternative energy) is already setting up shop in Michigan," said Governor Jennifer Granholm in her recent State of the State address. "Already, 11 ethanol or bio-diesel fuel manufacturing plants companies have chosen Michigan." Granholm announced an aggressive three-year effort to attract even more alternative energy companies to Michigan, using more than $100 million in combined public-private investments. By 2008, Michigan will have 1,000 ethanol and bio-diesel pumps at gas stations across the state, she added. Ford maintains an innovative partnership with VeraSun Energy Corporation to expand E85 fuel availability along the Midwest Ethanol Corridor (I-55 in Illinois and I-70 between Chicago and Kansas City) for drivers of flexible-fuel vehicles. The petrol-to-ethanol pump conversions are expanding E85 availability by approximately one-third in the two states. Ford also coordinated efforts with MFA Oil to boost E85 use and awareness in Missouri by offering an E85 reduced-price promotion at 32 stations earlier this year. While the opening of the Ethanol Corridor has made in-roads for early adopters of the bio-fuel, Ford and BP engineers collaboratively strive to develop a variety of sustainable mobility solutions that optimize fuel economy and powertrain performance as well as reduce carbon emissions. "Working with BP we aim to propose solutions that are acceptable to the government as well as the oil and auto companies," said Christophe Mangin, corporate alliance manager in Ford Business and Product Strategy. "It's a tremendous challenge because we cannot speak for the auto industry any more than BP can speak for the oil industry." The company is focusing most of its powertrain development on improving the fuel efficiency of the traditional gas engine, while developing vehicles powered by fuel cell, hydrogen, bio-fuel and hybrid electric technologies. It makes sense to pursue a variety of solutions, said John Ginder, Ford manager of Systems Analytics and Environmental Sciences, because the agricultural and energy industries’ capacity to produce and deliver a sufficient amount of bio-fuel is still unknown. "Progress is being made. We expect to see innovative techniques for growing food crops applied to the cultivation of plants for fuel," Ginder explained. "There is great potential for modifying plants and processes to enhance the amount of energy we can grow and convert to fuel, but we don’t know how great yet." Even with advances in bio-fuels development, he added, it's too early to say which powertrain technologies will emerge as the biggest winners -- for automakers and consumers alike. "It's likely that we’ll have a multiplicity of fueling options for decades to come," Ginder said. |
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