| The P2000 LSR can acheive more than 60 miles per gallon – extremely
fuel efficient for a five-passenger mid-size sedan. This gives the P2000 LSR a driving
range of 420 miles on a tank of fuel. Ford engineers call it the "no-compromise"
hybrid because consumers wouldn't have to compromise comfort or performance for fuel
efficiency. Ford’s hybrid electric vehicle is the result of a six-year research
and development program to build, test and demonstrate a production-feasible hybrid
propulsion system for use in a vehicle that provides high energy efficiency and low
emissions. This project is closely related to Ford’s participation in the Partnership
for a New Generation of Vehicles. The vehicle is built on the P2000 platform, which
includes creative packaging to maximize interior space, extensive use of lightweight
materials and low-rolling-resistance tires. Each component in the vehicle is designed to
minimize weight while delivering safety, strength, stiffness and durability. Engineers
also maximized secondary weight savings. For example, the lighter P2000 achieves good ride
characteristics with smaller and lighter springs and shocks than a traditional vehicle of
its size.
Aluminum has been used extensively for major components such as engine and body.
Additionally, carbon fiber, magnesium and titanium have been used in a variety of parts
for further weight savings. The end result is a vehicle platform that is 40 percent
lighter than today's Ford Taurus sedan, delivering comparable roominess. Ford's Low
Storage Requirement hybrid system uses an aluminum DIATA engine, starter/alternator,
automatically shifted manual transmission and high-power battery. The DIATA (Direct
Injection, Aluminum Through Bolt Assembly) engine is about 35 percent more efficient than
conventional gasoline engines. It is a four cylinder, 1.2-liter compression-ignition,
direct-injection engine that generates 55 kilowatts, or 74 horsepower at 4,100 rpm. This
small engine powers the extremely lightweight P2000 to comparable performance measures as
today's Taurus.
The starter/alternator is a small high-power electric motor that is packaged between
the transmission and the engine. When used in combination with the vehicle's small nickel
metal hydride battery and power electronics module, the P2000 LSR engine can be restarted
in less than 0.2 seconds, literally the blink of an eye. The automatically shifted
transmission combines the operating ease of an automatic transmission with the efficiency
of a manual transmission. It is 20 percent more efficient than a typical automatic
transmission.
This hybrid vehicle research is part of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hybrid
Propulsion Systems Development Program being conducted under a cost-shared subcontract
funded equally by Ford and the DOE through the Midwest Research Institute, which manages
and operates DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. |
