Ford Motor Company’s Lima Engine Plant, Ohio, has
won the bid to upgrade facilities to build the all-new 2.7-Liter EcoBoost
gasoline engine for the 2015 F-150 pick-up trucks.
Ford will invest US$500
million to support production facilities in the plant and create 300 jobs. The
plant will be the first to manufacture a gasoline vee engine with a compacted
graphite iron (CGI) cylinder block.
Indeed, the 2.7-litre EcoBoost is now
the smallest engine in the pick-up truck sector while still providing the power
of a mid-range V8. This unique introduction demonstrates the downsizing
capabilities of CGI and confirms the first-ever high volume application of CGI
for a gasoline engine cylinder block.
The 2.7-litre V6 EcoBoost
delivers the performance of a mid-range V8 gasoline engine but with greater
efficiency, and builds on strong sales of V6 engine-equipped F-150.
Ford’s investment in Lima
follows an announcement in early March that the company will shift production
of Ford F-650/F-750 medium-duty trucks from Mexico to Ohio Assembly Plant in
Avon Lake, in the Cleveland area, early next year.
Lima Engine
Plant
The Lima Engine Plant
produces the 3.5-litre and 3.7-litre Duratec V6 engines for multiple Ford
vehicles including Edge and Explorer utilities, as well as the Lincoln MKX
crossover, MKT utility and MKZ sedan.
The new US$500 million
investment will go to a new flexible engine assembly system and renovation of
700,000 square feet of the facility for machining and assembly functions.
MAG-IAS is likely to have
won the contract to provide the majority of new machining capability. On 8 March 2013, the
shareholders of MAG-IAG agreed to the acquisition of the company by Fives, the
French engineering group, based in Paris. No announcement has been made.
“Lima Engine has kept Ford
and Lincoln vehicles running for nearly 60 years,” said Bruce Hettle, Ford vice
president, North America manufacturing. “Bringing production of the new
2.7-litre EcoBoost to Lima Engine Plant helps build a solid future both for
Ford and the dedicated workers in Ohio.”
The Lima Engine Plant opened
in 1957 and now employs more than 900 people. It is one of the largest
employers in Allen County. On March 13, the plant built its three-millionth
Duratec V6, and later this year the 40-millionth engine produced at the plant
will roll off the assembly line.
“The new jobs at Lima Engine
Plant will be a major boost to the community, and continue F-150’s reputation
as one of the most American-made vehicles,” said Jimmy Settles, UAW vice
president, National Ford Department. “It’s especially exciting that these jobs
will go to support a new technology like the 2.7-liter EcoBoost for the all-new
F-150.”
This new EcoBoost engine builds
on recording-breaking customer demand for F-150 pickups equipped with V6
engines. In fact, 57 percent of new customers in 2014 have opted for either a
3.7-litre V6 or 3.5-litre V6 EcoBoost to power their new F-150.
Since 2010, retail
registrations of light-duty pickups with V6 engines have grown more than 600
percent, with Ford F-150 directly responsible for 91 percent of this growth,
according to Ford analysis of Polk retail new vehicle registration data from
IHS Automotive.
“Our truck customers have
spoken, and we continue to meet their evolving needs by providing another V6
option in the all-new 2015 F-150,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president of The
Americas. “The hardworking team at Lima Engine is thrilled to begin building
one of the most technologically advanced engines ever designed for America’s
No. 1 truck.”
Boost for CGI
The high-output, twin-turbo
2.7-litre V6 EcoBoost features a new design that delivers power and performance
in a strong and smart package for the 2015 Ford F-150.
The materials used to make
the new V6 EcoBoost enable its fuel efficiency, according to Ford. Most
notably, the engine uses a CGI engine cylinder block, the same material used in
Ford’s 6.7-litre Power Stroke turbo-diesel V8 built at the Chihuahua
Engine Plant, Mexico. The combination of CGI and the aluminium cylinder heads
are the greatest single weight-saver while providing strength where it is
needed most for durability.
As we revealed exclusively
this week, specialist UK family-owned powertrain specialist Grainger &
Worrall of Bridgnorth, Shropshire produced the 200 to 300 prototype CGI
cylinder blocks for this ground-breaking engine.
The engine breaks new ground
as it is the first high-volume vee gasoline engine to adopt CGI material for
the cylinder block. It is understood that in addition to its properties of high
strength, thermal conductivity and NVH characteristics, CGI allows engineers to
fracture-split the big end bearings adding to the low-friction features of the engine.
Indeed, according to Ford
this is the first use of fracture-split main-bearing caps, which the company
claims create a superior fit between the cap and engine block for reduced
crankshaft friction to help improve efficiency.
However, it is known that
MAN’s two commercial vehicle engines which have CGI in-line six-cylinder blocks in CGI also use fracture-split main bearing caps. The Ford
EcoBoost engine is certainly the first of its size to use this technology.
Other weight-enhancing features include
all-new aluminium cylinder heads that feature water-cooled integrated exhaust
manifolds; a variable displacement oil pump that further reduces internal
engine friction to improve fuel economy; intake and exhaust variable cam
timing to improves torque while helping lower emissions; a lightweight, durable composite intake manifold; and cooling jets beneath the pistons that spray oil on the pistons to
help lower operating temperatures. The engine’s connecting rods
use an offset I-beam to provides improved strength to manage peak engine power
levels while reducing weight for better responsiveness
As yet public no
announcement has been made by Ford or the foundry concerned to declare the
identity of the foundry with the contract to produce the CGI blocks for the
2.7-littre EcoBoost. On the basis that Tupy SA in Joinville, Brazil supplies vee
engine blocks for the 6.7-litre Power Stroke built in Chihuahua, some observers
suggest the assumption can be made that Tupy has been successful in its bid and will supply from Mexico
Significantly in this
regard, in SinterCast’s fourth quarter 2013 results, the company’s chief
executive officer, Steve Dawson wrote: “During the fourth quarter, SinterCast
began series production of the world’s first high volume CGI petrol engine at
the Tupy foundry in Saltillo, Mexico. The engine was revealed by Ford at the
2014 North American International Auto Show on 13 January, as an integral
component of the 2015 F150 pick-up truck, and a key contributor to the saving
of up to 700lb (318kg) compared to the 2014 model. The 2.7L CGI V6 was heralded
as a “game changer” in the industry and, with application in North America’s
best-selling vehicle, provides a high profile first reference for CGI in petrol
applications.”
Ford appears to be somewhat measured
in its control of information that is being released about the new EcoBoost. As
yet no power and torque figures have been given out. Further information will
be forthcoming. However, Tupy is the world’s leading supplier of CGI engine
blocks.
Standard Auto Start-Stop
technology boosts fuel efficiency and is specially tuned for truck customers.
Auto Start-Stop turns the engine off automatically when the vehicle is at a
stop – except when towing or in four-wheel-drive mode. The engine quickly
restarts once the driver releases the brake.
Meanwhile, the all-new 2015
Ford F-150 is tougher, smarter and more capable than ever. It’s completely
redesigned – establishing a new standard for full-sized pickups by bringing
together improved capability, fuel efficiency and cutting-edge smart vehicle
technology.
Using advanced materials –
including more high-strength steel than ever in the frame and high-strength,
military-grade, aluminium alloy throughout the body – improves durability while
saving as much as 700lb, giving truck customers greater towing, payload and
fuel efficiency performance.
When it goes on sale late
this year, the all-new Ford F-150 will have undergone more than 10 million
miles of torture testing to ensure it meets or exceeds Built Ford Tough
standards.
Along with the all-new
2.7-liter EcoBoost, the new F-150 will feature a complete line-up of
powertrains to let customers tailor the nation’s best-selling truck to their
needs. The 3.5-litre EcoBoost engine returns, an all-new normally aspirated
3.5-liter V6 debuts and there is an improved 5.0-litre V8.
In the three years since
Ford launched the 3.5-litre EcoBoost in F-150, the company has sold more than 2
million EcoBoost-powered vehicles; EcoBoost is now the most recognized
fuel-efficient engine among consumers.
Ford sells approximately
100,000 EcoBoost vehicles monthly around the world, equating to roughly one out
of five Ford vehicles sold.
Since 2011, Ford has sold
more than 450,000 F-150 trucks equipped with EcoBoost. Through the first two
months of 2014, the V6 EcoBoost engine has accounted for approximately 46
percent of F-150 sales. ∎
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