Ford took a different approach towards electrifying the new Territory SUV for the Philippine market. Instead of going the plug-in route, the carmaker developed a self-charging full hybrid system that’s more appropriate given customer preference and local infrastructure. It’s a powertrain that makes its global debut here and it’s one that’s been confirmed for other countries under Ford’s International Markets Group.
In a deep dive with Hakam Hamarneh, Product Development of Ford International Markets Group, he explained in great detail the technology behind this 1.5-liter Dedicated Hybrid Engine; and it’s impressive, indeed.
For starters, it has a high thermal efficiency. Thermal efficiency, rated in percentage, measures just how well an engine converts heat into mechanical power. With a thermal efficiency rating of 43.52 percent, Ford’s powertrain is already higher than Toyota’s Dynamic Force and Honda’s L-Series—engines which are used in their respective brand’s full hybrid systems.
Hakam explains that Ford’s been able to achieve this thanks to a high-efficiency thermal management and low-friction piston rings. In addition, each of the four cylinders has independent head cooling allowing for optimized combustion, reduced emissions, and faster warm-ups.
By itself, the combustion engine already makes 150 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 230 Nm of torque from 2,000 to 3,500 rpm—figures which are fairly close to the Territory’s pure combustion engine version. From there, it’s supplemented by not one, but two front-mounted electric motors (one traction motor and one integrated starter motor) that delivers 218 horsepower and 315 Nm of torque. Ford hasn’t revealed the combined figures as of yet, but you can bet that it’ll be, at the very least, what the electric motor generates.
The battery system where the electric motor’s hooked up to is no less impressive. Instead of relying on a Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) or Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) setup, Ford has decided on an energy-dense Lithium-Ion Nickel Cobalt Manganese (NCM) one. And at 1.83-kWh in size, it’s pretty substantial too. Ford says it’ll do 19.6 km/L in a combined city/highway cycle, while Hakam reckons the Territory Hybrid will be capable of doing at least a thousand kilometers between fill ups.
Because the battery system must cope with the varied climate of the 100 or so markets that comprise Ford’s International Markets Group, it’s specifically engineered to handle -35 to +50 degrees Celsius thanks to its direct cooling system that uses the climate control’s refrigerant says Hakam. Furthermore, it’s encased in a water-resistant case meaning it can remain fully functional even under one meter (1,000 mm) fully submerged. It’s also situated in a sandwich between the passenger compartment and floor meaning the battery doesn’t eat into any interior space—passenger or otherwise.
Coordinating the combustion engine and electric motor’s complex dance is a job done by the 2-speed Dedicated Hybrid Transmission. It’s a wet-type dual clutch gearbox with one gear handling low-speed duties, and another handling high-speed duties. Why only have two gears? It’s simply because the electric motor defaults mostly to either a pure EV or series modes. Parallel mode only engages at speeds above 50 km/h. At times when the combustion engine is at its most efficient, say at steady 80 km/h cruising, the gearbox shifts to the second gear and lets the combustion engine do all the work. The electric motors switch off altogether.
While this complex hybrid system does offer a variety of modes—EV, Series, Parallel, and Energy Recovery—the best part is that it’s all done automatically with no need for additional driver input or modes to tinker with. However, there are three selectable driving modes—Eco, Normal, and Sport—but this has little to do with the operation of the hybrid system per se, but rather down to the sensitivity of the throttle and the calibration (weight) of the steering. Once the Territory musters all available output, it’ll do the century sprint in 8.5 seconds—about 2.5 seconds faster than the purely combustion engine version.
Ford’s proud with the development of their Dedicated Hybrid Engine and rightfully so. For the local market, they’re offering a 5-year warranty and a separate 8-year high-voltage battery warranty which goes to show you the level of confidence they have in the performance, reliability, and durability of their new hybrid system.
too complicated to maintain
ReplyDeleteI will be impressed if and only if it will outlast a Honda or Toyota hybrid system in longevity and reliability.
ReplyDeleteFix
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Repair
Daily
I've own 8 Fords over 40 years and they've been the most dependable vehicles I've owned. My current vehicle is going on year 9 and still runs like new. None of my Fords have ever let me sit by the side of the road. The specs on this new hybrid engine show it to be superior to Toyota's and Honda's current offerings. No shade on either company. I especially like Honda.
DeleteGood thing you didnt own a ford focus with the dry dual clutch and an ecosport with the wet belt system-- otherwise your story could sound a bit different.
DeleteIf you own a car with the wet belt all you need to do is have your car serviced slightly earlier than what Ford recommends. People who do that avoid the issues brought about with the design. It's not ideal but it's not guaranteed to fail (again, if serviced slightly more often).
DeleteWhy has Ford chosen to separate the output figures for the engine and electric motors? For the typical consumer, only the combined HP rating and fuel efficiency figure truly matter.
ReplyDeleteBecause they've yet to give the combined figure. Same to assume though that, at the minimum it would be what the electric motor puts out.
DeleteThe cooling system appears to be similar to BYD’s entry-level EVs. Will this also loose cabin cooling when the battery gets too hot?
ReplyDeleteYes...but at the same time, there's less battery to cool too. It shouldn't affect cabin cooling as much.
DeleteNo to cars that are made by the bully
ReplyDeleteisa na namang uto uto. Ford, an american company, is working with China. but you still believe their narrative that China is evil?
DeleteI find unnecessarily high prices (as a result of greed) by other brands a form of bully-like behavior.
DeleteAgree.
DeleteFord has been known to be very experimental in new technologies- like the DP6 dry dual clutch tranny and the oil soaked wet timing belt.. both caused them billions in lawsuits.
ReplyDeleteLets see what this new hybrid set up will bring to the table. Hopefully not lawsuits anymore but happy faces to their customers.
Ford Philippines excels at super-hyping up their vehicles. I will never forget the time that 2 Ford Explorer owners were so convinced about the then upcoming Ford Everest (current body) that they believed that the Everest was a more upscale vehicle than their Explorers.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the above Explorer owners did not sell their units in order to secure funds to purchase the coming Everest. Arriving in a 5 year old Explorer is much more impressive than arriving in an Everest. Let's not even discuss comfort and capability.
As vehicles are depreciating assets, it pays to do due diligence on the vehicles one intends to acquire.
Never purchase any vehicle without doing a Test Drive/Ride. Also,
never purchase a vehicle without a written & signed cost of scheduled PMS of the vehicle until the warranty expires.
3 or 4 years ago the cost of PMS of Ford and Subaru dealers was so high that it was a deal breaker for more than a few prospective Ford and Subaru buyers.
Any claim for anything "better" or "higher" than Toyota and/or Honda means nothing. Both companies engineer buffers into the capabilities of their powertrains so they are more robust even if driven more frequently into their quoted limits. Traditionally, this cannot be said about other mainstream manufacturers.
ReplyDeleteTraditionally, that was how Toyota has been but there have been more cases recently of Toyota 'trimming' down those buffers (as well as complaints with their newer pickup engines in Australia especially while towing). Not an across the board occurence but the fact that it has been happening when it never used to is not a good sign.
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