Autoblog

Ford staring down F-150 fuel-injection patent lawsuit

George Kennedy — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Technology, Ford

Ford is currently facing a lawsuit regarding the direct injection fuel systems found in its F-150 EcoBoost engine. TMC Fuel Injection System LLC is the company filed the lawsuit Wednesday in a federal court in Philadelphia. The suit alleges that Ford said it was "no longer interested" in the direct injection technology, yet proceeded to employ it in its engines.

Shou L. Hou is the patent inventor for the fuel delivery technology. Ford began talks with Hou and TMC over two years after the patent was filed.

The specific direct injection technology patented by Hou is the dynamic range of the fuel injection which maximizes performance while minimizing fuel waste. This system is said to conserve fuel by 25 percent in city driving, while offering improved power when needed.

The EcoBoost engine representd 42 percent of the F-150 sales in the month of July. Ford began offering this engine in early 2011, after apparently telling TMC and Hou that it had no interest in utilizing their patent.

Ford staring down F-150 fuel-injection patent lawsuit originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost rated at 16 city, 22 highway

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Ford

2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost smokes its tires - Click above for high-res image gallery

It's official: Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, as seen in the 2011 F-150 pickup truck, has been rated at 16 city and 22 highway by the EPA. And it's also officially the engine to get if you're shopping for a new Blue Oval workhorse.

To put it all into perspective, the 365-horsepower, 420-pound-foot EcoBoost-equipped F-150 offers 3,060 pounds of payload and 11,300 pounds worth of towing capability - both of which are best-in-class - and it gets better fuel mileage than any comparable engines offered by Ford's competitors (see the graph after the break).

All this baked-in, twin-turbocharged goodness won't even cost the buyer all that much money, as the EcoBoost engine option adds just $750 to the cost of a truck that would otherwise be equipped with the perfectly acceptable 5.0-liter V8, or $1,750 over the cost of the base 3.7-liter V6.

Money well spent, we'd say, especially considering that the more powerful EcoBoost beats the 5.0 when it comes to fuel efficiency (15/21) and nearly matches the 3.7's 16/23 rating. Probably not when smoking its tires, though...

Want to know more? Feel free to check out the complete press release after the break.

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost

[Source: Ford via PickupTrucks.com]

Continue reading 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost rated at 16 city, 22 highway

2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost rated at 16 city, 22 highway originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: Ford F-150 EcoBoost finishes Baja 1000 in 38 hours

Zach Bowman — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Truck, Marketing/Advertising, Ford, Off-Road, Racing

2011 Ford F-150 Ecoboost - Click above for high-res image gallery

When it comes to the Baja 1000, simply crossing the finish line is reason enough to bust out the champagne. Ford has announced that its 2011 F-150 Ecoboost race truck has managed to cover the entire 1,061 mile course in 38 hours and 20 minutes. According to FoMoCo, the truck put up with some of the most grueling terrain on the planet - racing through temperatures below freezing and above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. More impressively, as you may recall, this particular 3.5-liter V6 engine entered the cross-country rally with the equivalent of 10 years of abuse on the clock. The very same lump went through extensive endurance testing at the Cleveland Engine Plant before being bolted into an F-150 that was used as a log skidder in Oregon.

Finally, the same engine drove around a NASCAR track at full speed while towing 11,300 pounds. Ford then unbolted the engine and plopped it into the race machine you see above - bone stock and without so much as a rebuild. With 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, the EcoBoost was more than powerful enough to pull the Baja F-150 across the line. Click past the jump for the full press release.

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150 Ecoboost

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Followup: Ford F-150 EcoBoost finishes Baja 1000 in 38 hours

Followup: Ford F-150 EcoBoost finishes Baja 1000 in 38 hours originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Videos: Ford launches new TV spots to promote 2011 F-150 powertrains

Steven J. Ewing — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:14:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Truck, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Ford

TV spot for the 2011 Ford F-150 - Click above to watch the video after the jump

The Ford F-150 is an outrageously important vehicle here in America. Not only has it been the best-selling pickup truck for the past 33 years, it has out-sold every single vehicle in the country for 28 of those years. So when it comes time to update the bread-and-butter pickup, Ford has to make sure it is still poised to be a high-volume seller.

For 2011, Ford hit a bullseye by adding four new powertrains to the F-150 lineup - a 3.7-liter V6, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, and two V8 engines measuring 5.0 and 6.2 liters. By doing this, Ford says that there's no need to compromise when shopping the F-150 because its range of powertrains provide the most power, best towing capacity and best fuel economy in the class. Checkmate.

To promote this, Ford has just launched its latest series of television ads that showcase the "no compromise" theme. The automaker has signed comedian Dennis Leary to provide the voiceover, and you can check out both of the new ads, as well as Ford's press release, after the jump.

Question: How do Ford's new advertisements compare with these latest examples from Chevrolet?

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150: First Drive

Photos copyright (C)2010 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL
[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Videos: Ford launches new TV spots to promote 2011 F-150 powertrains

Videos: Ford launches new TV spots to promote 2011 F-150 powertrains originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Drag racing Ford's V6-powered F-150s

Jeff Glucker — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Videos, Ford

PickupTrucks.com drag races Ford's newest V6 F-150s - Click above to watch video after the jump

Ford has created an exciting lineup of engines for the 2011 F-150. From the 6.2-liter V8 and Coyote 5.0 down to the 3.7-liter V6 and turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost, it's pretty much impossible to make a bad choice. Our friends at PickupTrucks.com currently have the keys to both of the V6 models, and they are putting them through the paces for their Work Truck Shootout. That story isn't quite ready yet, but in the meantime, Editor Mike Levine decided to run them down the strip at Michigan's Milan Dragway.

The resulting times are very interesting. The naturally-aspirated 3.7, which produces 302 horsepower and 278 pound-feet of torque, made the quarter-mile trip in 15.87 seconds with a trap speed of 87.69 miles per hour. The more powerful EcoBoost, which boasts 365 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, needed just 14.67 seconds to cover the quarter-mile, crossing the lights at 94.6 mph. Interestingly, both of the times for the V6 engines were quicker than all of the figures for half-ton V8 trucks tested during the site's 2008 Light-Duty Shootout.

You've just read about them, so why don't you hop over the jump and watch them run down the strip.

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150: First Drive

Photos copyright (C)2010 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL and Ford Motor Company

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

Continue reading Video: Drag racing Ford's V6-powered F-150s

Video: Drag racing Ford's V6-powered F-150s originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mike Rowe narrating Ford F-150 EcoBoost web documentary

Zach Bowman — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 17:05:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Technology, Videos, Ford, Celebrities, Off-Road

Ford tortures its EcoBoost engine - Click above to watch video after the jump

Ford is itching to show that its 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine is tough enough to take whatever F-150 buyers can throw at it. In order to do so, the company has lined up a bevy of torture tests and enlisted Mike Rowe to narrate a documentary on the whole affair. Things will kick off with Ford randomly selecting an EcoBoost engine off of the assembly line to be subjected to the equivalent of 150,000 miles on the dyno. From there, the engine will be bolted into an F-150, where it will head to Oregon to skidsteer logs for a lumber company.

Then, the same truck and engine will head to Homestead Miami Speedway where it will tow two Sprint Cup Ford Fusion race cars around the track for 24 hours at full throttle, stopping only for fuel and tires along the way.

But wait, there's more.

From there, the engine will be removed from the 2011 F-150 and bolted into a specially prepared race truck, where it will do battle in the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. After all of that, Ford will tear down the engine and give the public a look at how things went inside. Sounds like a party. You can hit the jump for a look at the full press release and to check out the first video in the series.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Mike Rowe narrating Ford F-150 EcoBoost web documentary

Mike Rowe narrating Ford F-150 EcoBoost web documentary originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 26 Sep 2010 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford to campaign F-150 EcoBoost in Baja 1000

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Truck, Work, Ford, Specialty, Off-Road, Racing

2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost Desert Racer - Click above for high-res image gallery

Convincing pickup truck buyers they don't actually need a big 'ol honkin' V8 engine is going to be tough, regardless of how good the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 in the 2011 Ford F-150 may be. We already know that the mill puts out enough power to get just about anything done, but what about its durability? After all, the old-school V8 (never mind that modern Ford overhead cam V8s share almost nothing in common with their OHV predecessors) has been in use since, oh, just about the dawn of the American automobile industry.

With that in mind, Ford is eager to convince potential buyers that its twin-turbo V6 powerplant is fully capable of surviving the rigors of pickup duty. And to prove it, The Blue Oval has some pretty harsh plans for its latest EcoBoost engine, culminating with an entry into the famed Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 off-road race.

But before that final torture test, that same 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine will be used by a lumber company in Oregon to haul logs weighing thousands of pounds up steep hills. Then, that same engine will tow a pair of Sprint Cup Ford Fusions at full throttle for 24 hours around the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway oval track in Florida. Then it's on to Baja, after which it will be torn down and shown off to the public.

Clearly, Ford believes in the durability of its EcoBoost engine, which has already gone through 1.6 million miles (both real over-the-road and simulated miles) of abusive testing. We look forward to seeing how this one particular randomly selected engine performs throughout its upcoming torture testing. Hit the jump for all the details.

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150 Desert Racer

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford to campaign F-150 EcoBoost in Baja 1000

Ford to campaign F-150 EcoBoost in Baja 1000 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Ford F-150 with EcoBoost puts down the power

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Truck, Work, Ford

2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost smokes its tires - Click above for high-res image gallery

We're still a few days away from being able to share driving impressions of the 2011 Ford F-150 pickup and, more specifically, the Blue Oval's four new heavy-hauling powerplants for the '11 season. What we can share, however, are some pictures we snapped while Ford showed off what its truck was capable of.

We're especially impressed with the latest application of Ford's EcoBoost technology. As you're already aware, the 3.5-liter twin-turbo powerplant puts down 365 horsepower and a more-than-ample 420 pound-feet of torque. What those black-and-white figures don't tell you, though, is how smartly the EcoBoost engine moves the full-size F-150 down the road, even when hooked up to a suitably large trailer.

While we'll stop short of calling the EcoBoost-powered F-Series a muscle truck, but here's some pictorial evidence that it's more than capable of frying the tires off its aluminum wheels. And we're not just talking about gratuitous burnout photos either. Check the chart.

So... if that's the Boost part of the package, what about the Eco? Well, we're going to have to wait for Ford and the EPA to get an official rating published, but Ford fully expects the turbo mill to post class-leading fuel efficiency figures. Speaking of which, Ford let slip a projection indicating that its base 3.7-liter V6 engine will manage 23 miles per gallon on the highway - matching the figure of General Motors' hybrid pickup twins.

The number crunchers amongst you will find plenty of interesting (and impressive) little tidbits perusing our high-res image gallery below. Here's a hint: Click on the image to the right and pay special attention to the relative figures posted by both Ford's base 3.7-liter V6 and 3.5-liter EcoBoost as compared to their competitors. What are you waiting for?

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost

2011 Ford F-150 with EcoBoost puts down the power originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: 2011 Ford F-150 to get 3.7L V6, 5.0L V8 and 3.5L Ecoboost V6

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:31:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Ford

Ford F-150 - Click above for high-res image gallery

When the 2011 Ford F-150 arrives this Fall, it will reportedly get an all-new powertrain lineup. Ford already officially confirmed several months ago that the light-duty pickups would be getting the first rear-wheel drive application of the 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6. The transaxles in the current Ecoboost applications are torque-limited, so when the twin turbocharged and direct injected V6 lands in the truck, it could produce as much as 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque.

The current 4.6-liter and 5.4-liter are also expected to be supplanted by the newer, more powerful and efficient engines that debuted in the 2011 Mustang earlier this year. The F-150's new base engine will reportedly be the 3.7-liter V6 with 305 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, while the top engine will be the new 5.0-liter Coyote V8. The 5.0-liter will likely be re-tuned from the Mustang's 412 hp and 390 lb-ft to give it more torque and further elevate the model's 11,000+ pound towing capacity. The V6-powered trucks could be the first light-duty full-size trucks to hit 25 mpg on the highway, a figure that's even better than General Motors' hybrid trucks.

Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Ford F-150

Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Report: 2011 Ford F-150 to get 3.7L V6, 5.0L V8 and 3.5L Ecoboost V6 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost V6

Damon Lavrinc — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:31:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Truck, Ford

The 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost is one of the worst kept secrets out of Dearborn, and the crew at PickupTrucks.com have managed to snag some of the first shots of a SuperCab FX4 model undergoing testing.

While the changes to the exterior don't divulge much, the cut in the lower air dam clearly shows an intercooler mounted in front of the radiator.

The direct-injected, turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 is rumored to be rated at around 400 horsepower and more than 400 pound-feet of torque, enough to keep up with the standard 6.2-liter V8's 411 hp and 434 lb.-ft. of twist, while returning fuel economy somewhere in the range of 23 mpg on the highway.

Sales are expected to begin later this year or in early 2011, and it's safe to assume that the EcoBoosted F-150 will carry a slight price premium over its V8-powered counterpart.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

Spy Shots: 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost V6 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 May 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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