THE ECOBOOST ENGINE: COMBINING VARIABLE VALVE TIMING ...

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Neil Debski Seth Kahanov levels of torque at low levels of consumption, the engine will perform at higher efficiency by using less fuel. Economic analysis has proven that “drivers will recover the additional initial cost of the [EcoBoost] in an estimated 30 months, which is significantly shorter than the estimated seven years for diesel engines and 12 years for hybrid engines” [17]. Despite its high initial price, the EcoBoost will allow the driver to earn back their initial investment in gas savings quicker than they would with another engine model. ECOBOOST PUT TO THE TEST To prove the EcoBoost engine is a viable option in the engine market, it has been compared to other competing engines, and proves to have the highest efficiency. Ford has not been the only automotive company with the idea to better their engines fuel economy. The models for “Hyundai . . . BMW . . . [and] Chrysler’s 2013 Ram 1500 pickup” high end cars all have added the feature of “eight-speed transmission” in order to improve the fuel economy of the car [20]. However these models have only considered the economic benefit for the customer, and have not touched upon the environmental impact that the efficiency of the engine will have. The result of these other companies’ efforts has been that their models with “transmissions with more gears aren’t as fuel efficient as some of the other systems [that consider their environmental and economic impact, such as the EcoBoost] being offered by automakers” [20]. These competitors for the Ford EcoBoost have not combined the same technology that Ford has in order to improve both the environment and economy that their engine must live in. Only Ford’s combination of direct fuel injection, variable valve timing, and turbocharging is able to benefit the engine’s fuel economy and the driver’s environment. The companies that Ford is now competing with are the same companies that, upon the realization of their loophole around the EPA’s approval, were forced to “disclose any features on their engines that they know would increase actual pollution” [4]. The fact that these companies continued to manufacture an engine that they knew would not decrease emissions compared to their previous models proves that the Ford EcoBoost engine has been kept up to date on the necessities of the society in which it functions. Ford has chosen to grow with its surroundings, instead of fight them the way that their competitors have. One of the original Ford models with the EcoBoost engine, the 2010 Lincoln MKT, was tested against Audi Q7 SUV. The comparison proved that the Lincoln’s “3.5 liter twin-turbo V6 cranks out 355 horsepower – more than many larger V8s, including the Audi Q7 SUV” [21]. This proves that the EcoBoost engine can perform more efficiently than other engines in a more manageable size. This smaller engine size demonstrates how the EcoBoost engine does not waste the space it occupies within a vehicle and optimizes the amount of work it does in the space it is provided. In the same test, after speeding from zero to sixty miles per hour faster than the V8 Audi, “The Lincoln [delivered] roughly twenty-five percent better mileage than the Audi, at an EPAestimated 16/22 mpg in city and highway” [21]. The Environmental Protection Agency has approved the impressive performance of the EcoBoost engine, which was initially designed to better the environment. This performance has also proved more cost efficient compared to other engines, given its better mileage. Other than its more efficient conventional performance, the EcoBoost proves to have the best environmental effects compared to other companies’ efforts to reach the same goal. Provided General Motors’ “eAssist” technology, Mazda’s “Skyactiv” approach and BMW’s “Efficient Dynamics”, the Ford EcoBoost has “delivered the [environmental] benefits . . . consistently across a broad product line-up . . . and managed to create a salient sub-brand that showcases the benefits of the technology” [22]. After the environmental effects of these top competitors’ efforts to better the environment were compared, the EcoBoost proved more beneficial than any other model in the running. Designs of other engines are made unique to one specific automobile, which requires automakers to design new engines for new cars without utilizing the benefits from past successful designs. However, the EcoBoost engine has proven to “deliver better fuel economy and performance on a full range of vehicles, from small cars to large trucks” [19]. The wide range of applicable automobiles for the EcoBoost engine has demonstrated that the design is much more sustainable than other engine designs in terms of applying the engine to any car that needs a better fuel economy or environmental impact. The versatility of the engines applications prove that the EcoBoost engine can be sustained for automobile designs for years to come. SUSTAINING ECOBOOST BENEFITS FOR THE FUTURE In order to entice drivers to choose the EcoBoost engine, they must be ensured that the style of the car they enjoy is still providing the benefits they desire in a vehicle. With gas prices in the United States averaging four dollars a gallon, the EcoBoost engine is a step towards a more fuel efficient engine. Ford Motor Company increases efficiency and fuel economy while not sacrificing the horsepower of the engine, proving to be a lucrative benefit to many consumers. Truck owners especially have taken a fancy to the EcoBoost and its powerful yet smaller engine. "People are amazed at the power," the owner of a car dealership in South Carolina explained. “Several customers traded in diesel-powered Super Duty pickups--used mainly for transportation instead of towing--for the F-150 EcoBoost. They are pleased with the fuel economy and the power.” [23]. Ford’s numbers show that the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 available in the F-150 exceeded 100,000 sales in less than one year on the market. 6
Neil Debski Seth Kahanov EcoBoost-equipped F-150s now account for more than 40 percent of F-150 retail sales. [24]. However, the EcoBoost engine is not only limited to trucks. Standard four door sedans such as the Ford Focus, Taurus, and Explorer allow for the fuel saving technology to be available to consumers of all car preferences for just a small increase in cost. Even sports cars such as the iconic Ford Mustang will be getting a green makeover. Ford executives have confirmed the adoption of EcoBoost engines for the next generation Mustang in 2015 [25]. Ford has committed to making EcoBoost available to 90 percent of its nameplates by 2013, and adding in the Mustang will take that figure closer to 100 percent [25]. Ecoboost owners who drive 15,000 miles per year will save a little less than $200 annually at the pump (with gas at $3.23 a gallon) [26]. The cost of an EcoBoost upgrade option, depending on the vehicle type, ranges from $900 to $1500. With an average car lasting around 150,000 miles before resale or scrapping, the EcoBoost engine pays for itself. These statistics show that the EcoBoost is an ethical step in the right direction as a fuel saving, pollution reducing, money saving engine that is suitable in price to most new car buyers. For this reason, the Ford Motor Company should continue to improve their line of EcoBoost Engines. In regards to modern car owners, Ford Vice President of Powertrain Engineering Joe Bakaj explains, “Many customers would like the fuel efficiency of a modern diesel or a hybrid, but can’t stretch their budgets to cover the cost premium. That’s where the EcoBoost fits in. It will offer a highly fuel-efficient alternative at a lower cost,” [27]. Not only has this engine made the driving experience user friendly, its initial benefits are sustainable to hold true no matter how the rest of the vehicle’s design has been modified . ECOBOOST: AN IRREFUTABLE OPTION Drivers have several choices regarding what type of engine and vehicle to use on a day to day basis. Considering how often a driver needs to have easy access to a manageable ride, this choice should be made regarding impacts that the car will make that will affect them the most. These effects that engine designs have are on the economy and environment that the driver is living in. These have always been concerns of mechanics while designing engines, but have never been dealt with in such a balanced and efficient way as the Ford EcoBoost engine. Previous attempts to better the fuel economy and environment have involved increasing the size of the engine and lowering the compression ratio [5]. This would better the environment, but decrease the performance of the engine overall. The later realization of why fuel is being wasted was explored in the MinDwell design, which made the injection site within the engine more controlled [9]. This decrease in fuel waste sparked the emphasis on direct fuel injection for all engine mechanics, and allowed Ford to design the entire EcoBoost engine around it. The direct injection involved in the EcoBoost engine uses spark ignited direct injection technology, which allows the engine to inject the fuel in the air in the cylinder and then ignite the mixture with a spark plug [11]. This enables the engine to use more of the fuel that is applied to it without having to release it into the atmosphere during the Otto cycle. The following crucial technology is the EcoBoost’s unique variable valve timing which reduces emissions by controlling the fuel flow to the engine even while the throttle is slightly open [13]. This is essential to benefitting the fuel economy of the engine, since the driver will not have to pay for as much gas, if the gas they initially put in their engine is being used completely to help the function of the engine. Another important aspect of the EcoBoost engine is its efficient turbocharging. The EcoBoost’s turbocharging helps give the engine the boost that it needs to continue through the Otto cycle, while cooling the system to both ease starting ignition and prevent harm or damage to the engine [28]. This cooling and charging allows the engine to perform at high quality for long periods of time without the need to stop for more fuel. Given all of the EcoBoost’s innovative technology, the choice to commit to the engine’s benefits comes from its economic and environmental benefits. The EcoBoost’s optimization of fuel allows the engine to achieve higher horsepower at lower rpm, which continues to decrease the constant need for fuel [3]. This high performance with low levels of fuel decreases the total amount of money the driver needs to spend on gasoline, making the cost benefit analysis favor the initial purchase of the engine. There are several other companies producing what they believe are highly efficient engines, but their comparison to the EcoBoost leaves them flawed. Despite other automotive companies being able to increase the performance efficiency of their engines, they are not able to better the fuel economy to the extent that the EcoBoost engine does [20]. The EcoBoost engine minimizes the space it occupies within the vehicle, which in turn gives opportunity for precise direct injection of fuel. This improvement wastes less fuel, solving both economic and environmental problems at once. Considering how long society has had these problems, it is odd to think of why this innovative technology was not released sooner. REFERENCES [1] (2012) “Fuel Efficiency Takes Baby Steps in the Auto Industry.” New York Times. (Newspaper). http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/business/global/fuelefficiency-takes-baby-steps-in-the-autoindustry.html?pagewanted=all [2] (2012) “Ford Puts the Pedal to Its EcoBoost Engine-Tech Brand.” Forbes. (Online Periodical). 7
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