Each year, Popular Mechanics magazine selects the 10 breakthrough technology products. Ford’s innovative 1.0 Liter EcoBoost engine is one of the winners this year. The new 1 liter EcoBoost engine is Ford’s first three cylinder engine and also one of the smallest displacement engines ever built by Ford.
The 1.0-litre EcoBoost uses turbocharging and direct fuel injection to extract impressive levels of power and fuel efficiency from its three-cylinder engine block, which is so small that it can fit on a sheet of A4 paper. Already on sale in Europe, Ford claims this newest EcoBoost engine packs up to 125 horsepower, and elsewhere has mentioned a peak torque of peak torque of 170 Nm from 1,300-4,500 rpm!
Developed at Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre in the U.K., the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine features a new compact, high performance turbocharger design. The extremely fast response of the turbocharger and its ability to reach nearly 250,000 rpm results in virtually no turbo lag and peak torque of 170 Nm. The all-new EcoBoost engine also features an exhaust manifold cast into the cylinder head, which lowers the temperature of the exhaust gases and in turn enables the engine to run with the optimum fuel-to-air ratio across a wider rev band. An advanced “split cooling” system reduces fuel consumption by warming the engine more quickly. Cast iron has been selected for the 1.0 liter engine block, reducing the amount of energy needed for warm-up by up to 50 per cent compared with aluminium.
Variable air-conditioning compressor and oil pump also reduce demand on the engine, improving economy and emissions and special coatings for engine components reduce frictional losses. An innovative design that immerses the two main engine drive belts in oil results in quieter and more efficient running but with the durability of a chain.
A three cylinder engine brings with it the usual tendency for higher vibrations. Rather than employ the traditional method of adding energy-draining balancer shafts, Ford engineers have deliberately “unbalanced” the flywheel and pulley to offset the engine configuration.
Earlier this year the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine was named “International Engine of the Year” by a jury of 76 journalists from 35 countries.
“We placed the bar incredibly high when we set out to design this engine,” said Joe Bakaj, Ford vice president, Global Powertrain. “We wanted to deliver eye-popping fuel economy, surprising performance, quietness and refinement – and all from a very small three-cylinder engine.
“The team responded to this seemingly impossible challenge with some really exciting innovation,” added Bakaj. “We are thrilled Popular Mechanics has recognized the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine for a Breakthrough Award.”
OuUr first contact with the 1.0 liter EcoBoost should be next year when Ford India brings home the new EcoSport. The 1.0 liter EcoBoost is being offered in different configurations globally, Brazil gets the 109.6 hp/6500 rpm and 153.6 Nm/4250 rpm configuration when using just gasoline, the figures increase with the use of Ethanol. No details for the Indian variant are available at this moment.
Ford has won a Breakthrough Award last year for their innovative Rear Inflatable Seat Belts.
This year GM also took one of the Breakthrough Awards for their Crash-Avoidance System. General Motors uses a practical and cost-effective single-camera vision system for crash avoidance in passenger cars with its GMC Terrain. Mounted behind the rearview mirror, the system watches the world much as humans do, detecting shapes and their positions relative to the car. With visual information taken in from a 37-degree field, the system warns the user of possible collisions and unintentional lane departures.
The other winners this year include Microsoft for their Surface tablet & Windows 8, the much talked about Lytro Camera with which you can shoot images and then choose the point of focus, and the 1299$ Cubify Cube 3D Printer.
Check out the other award winners here.