In addition to hybrids and flexible fuel vehicles, we're committed to the development of other advanced alternative fuel technologies, including clean diesel, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen. With the two Department of Energy grants we were recently awarded, we'll be able to further develop technologies designed to help reduce this nation's dependence on imported oil.

Ford Awarded Grants

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Ford Motor Company to conduct research that will focus on improving flexible-fuel engines capable of running on E85 and clean combustion diesel engines.

The two grants awarded, totaling up to $4.5 million, are part of a DOE $21.5 million commitment to 11 cost-shared research and development projects, with a goal of improving the fuel efficiency of light-duty vehicle engines. We're also a research partner on a third grant awarded to Michigan State University.

Improving Flexible-Fuel Engines

The first project, with an award up to $3.2 million, will focus on improving flexible-fuel engines and light-duty vehicles that operate on ethanol-gasoline blends up to 85 percent ethanol (E85) by volume. Our project will explore the use of knock-suppression properties of ethanol with increased compression ratios to allow use of smaller, more fuel-efficient engines.

More Efficient Diesel Engines

The second project, with an award of up to $1.3 million, is for a project to use diesel-boosting technologies to improve efficiency and performance of advanced, clean combustion diesel engines. We'll partner with ConceptsNREC, Wayne State University and FEV Engine Technology for this effort.

Formulating New Biofuels

We'll be involved in a third DOE grant research project, but as a partner with Michigan State University. The research will focus on the formulation of novel biofuel blends and their optimization for performance in advanced, low-temperature combustion diesel engines.