Ford EcoSport To Feature OverBoost Technology

The Ford EcoSport is one of the most anticipated vehicles to hit Indian roads this year and will also mark the debut of Ford’s latest technology, the EcoBoost engine. Details of the variants and specifications of the EcoSport are still sketchy at this moment but Ford has revealed a large chunk of information on what the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is all about.

What exactly is EcoBoost?

EcoBoost is a series of turbocharged, direct injection petrol engines which produce similar amount of power and torque as a naturally aspirated larger displacement motor. However, what the EcoBoost engines also boast of is, less fuel consumption, to the tune of 20% and a whooping 15% reduction in greenhouse gases.

Which cars use it?

The EcoBoost technology is a Ford technology and thus only Ford vehicles can use it. Currently cars that use EcoBoost technology include the Mondeo, Focus, Fusion, Escape, Falcon, Galaxy, Taurus, Flex, F-150, to name a few. All the aforementioned cars use 4-cylinder EcoBoost engines, while the 1.0-litre 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine will be offered on the EcoSport, Fiesta, Focus, B-Max and C-Max.

What is the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine all about?

The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is the smallest in the EcoBoost range. It uses 3-cylinders  and a turbocharger to produce power out equivalent of a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated engine. There are two versions of this engine, a 100 PS version and a 120 PS version. Ford intends to offer the 120 PS version on the EcoSport in India. This engine produces a whopping 170 Nm of torque from as low as 1300 RPM, all the way to 4500 RPM. In order to ensure faster warm up times, Ford has used cast iron block instead of aluminum. This block size has been packaged into a size as small as a A4 sheet of paper!

But what is OverBoost?

OverBoost is a feature of the EcoBoost engine, where the ECU allows the boost controller valve to be open for a long time when throttle input is at its maximum. This results in the increase of exhaust gases to the turbocharger, spinning the turbine faster and producing more torque. But the continuous spinning of the turbocharger at high speeds can result in damaging of the turbo and hence OverBoost is available only for a limited period (between 10-20 seconds) and is then disabled for a certain time. On the EcoSport, the OverBoost results in an extra 30 Nm of torque for a select time period.

The EcoBoost engine is, then, one of the most advanced engines for its size and will be the trump card for the Ford EcoSport. This is the very first time in that a engine as small as the 1.0-litre EcoBoost features such high technology.