2001 Ford F-350 Crew Cab Long Bed Dully 7.3l V10 4x4 5th Wheel Hook-up on 2040-cars

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Ford adding stop-start to all major model lines

Ford has gone all-in on its efforts to offer most of its new vehicles with a fuel-efficient EcoBoost engine, but the automaker is reportedly preparing to take another big step toward improving vehicle efficiency. Automotive News is reporting that Ford will soon expand the availability of start-stop technology, which was first offered - presumably the first non-hybrid vehicle, that is - on the 2013 Fusion (equipped with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine) as a $295 option.
The benefit of start-stop is reduced fuel consumption as it shuts the engine off at long stops, and AN quotes Ford as saying that drivers can save more than $1,000 on fuel costs over five years. Despite this, the option hasn't been popular on the Fusion thus far, but it could be more beneficial on bigger vehicles like the F-150. Ford also said that the next-gen Edge, which was previewed in concept form at the LA Auto Show, will be equipped with auto start-stop to help make the EcoBoost engines even more efficient.

Ford EV Chief: 150 kW fast charging could be the norm

Ford's electrified-vehicle sales aren't exactly at the top of the charts this year, but that hasn't stopped Mike Tinskey, the automaker's global director of electrification and infrastructure, from being rather enthusiastic about advancements in various forms of more environmentally sustainable mobility. Tinskey, in an interview with The Verge, spoke of a world with really fast plug-in vehicle chargers. And of vehicles that can be re-parked using a remote driver. How fun. Tinskey, who touts SAE/combo fast-charging charging specification as the most likely to take the global leadership position, said a 150-kilowatt charger could be on the market "very soon." That'd mean an electric vehicle could be 80-percent recharged in just 20 minutes. Today's quickest units, the Tesla Supercharger, can crank out up to 120 kW. Some companies are touting 100-kW charging times, despite the lack of compatible chargers. Tinskey also spoke about Ford studies of a so-called "Remote Repositioning" feature, which would allow cars to be re-parked at night using a remote driver over a cellular network as spaces empty up, cutting down traffic, needless driving and pollution as a result. We're sure ready for such a thing. Through the first quarter of this year, sales of Ford's hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles are down 28 percent from a year earlier to about 15,000 units. Sounds like those improvements Tinskey speaks of can't come soon enough. Featured Gallery 2012 Ford Focus Electric: Quick Spin View 18 Photos News Source: The Verge Green Ford

Ford F-150 extended cab struggles in IIHS small overlap test

Update: Ford issued a statement to Autoblog to clarify the results of the test and dispute the IIHS repair cost estimates. A quote from a Ford representative has been added to the story. See the full statement below the IIHS press release. Of all the vehicles undergoing crash tests this year, few will be as closely watched as the new 2015 Ford F-150. That's not only because it remains the top-selling vehicle in America year after year, but also because it features an aluminum body instead of steel. While the F-150 performed well in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety test, one factor prompted the institute to undertake a second round of testing that uncovered a problem. Like most full-size pickups, the F-150 is available in several cab styles: the regular two-door, the extended SuperCab and the four-door SuperCrew. The IIHS typically takes the most popular version of a particular model for testing, and in the Ford truck's case that meant the SuperCrew. The F-150 performed well in all the tests the IIHS put it through, including the small overlap test in which the vehicle is driven 40 miles per hour into a five-foot-tall barrier impacting the front left corner of the vehicle. Its overall performance in the tests earned the F-150 a Top Safety Pick rating, missing out on the higher Top Safety Pick + rating only because it doesn't have an automatic braking system. But how do the other versions of Ford's best-seller hold up? Given that even less popular versions of the F-150 still sell more than many other vehicles on the market, the IIHS put an extended cab through the same battery of tests. It performed comparably except in one area: the small overlap test. In that case, the extended cab model's steering column was pushed eight inches into the cabin (dangerously close to the crash test dummy's chest), the dummy's head missed the airbag almost entirely and hit the instrument panel, and the dummy's legs would risk sustaining "moderate" injuries. The reason for the disparity is that "Ford added structural elements to the crew cab's front frame to earn a good small overlap rating and a Top Safety Pick award but didn't do the same for the extended cab," according to the Institute's chief research officer David Zuby. "That shortchanges buyers who might pick the extended cab thinking it offers the same protection in this type of crash as the crew cab.