Advanced Clean Diesel

Modern diesels offer some significant advantages over traditional gasoline engines. They consume 30 to 40 percent less fuel, and on a well-to-wheels basis they emit 15 to 30 percent less CO2.1 In addition, direct-injection diesel engines provide exceptional power and torque, resulting in better driving performance and towing capabilities.

In Europe, diesel-powered vehicles account for more than 50 percent of new vehicle sales and make up approximately 30 percent of the total vehicle fleet on the road. Ford continues to improve its strong lineup of fuel-efficient and clean diesel vehicles in Europe. In 2008, for example, we introduced the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, which gets more than 62 mpg (approximately 78 mpg in European Imperial gallons)2 and emits just 98 g/km of CO2. This vehicle is powered by a specially calibrated version of the 90 PowerShift 1.6-liter Duratorq TDCi, combined with a coated diesel particulate filter.

In North American markets, diesels all but disappeared in the passenger vehicle market years ago because the diesel engines available at that time were not as clean or smooth running as gasoline engines. With the phasing-in of cleaner diesel fuels in 2007 and advances in clean diesel technology, there is new opportunity for the expanded use of diesel technologies in North America. Ford engineers are developing next-generation diesel technologies that will maintain the fuel economy advantages of diesels while minimizing emissions to meet strict U.S. air pollution standards. These technologies include diesel particulate (soot) filters and NOx reduction catalysts, along with advanced combustion systems that will significantly reduce the particulate matter and NOx emissions associated with diesel engines. These advances will provide another route to more fuel-efficient and cleaner mobility.

In 2008, Ford introduced a new generation of cleaner, quieter diesel engines in the Ford F-series Super Duty line of pickup trucks. The new 6.4-liter PowerStroke diesel is Ford's cleanest, quietest diesel pickup ever, with particulate emissions equivalent to a gasoline engine. It is the first Ford pickup in North America to use a high-precision, common-rail fuel-injection system featuring piezo-electric injectors, which use a stack of over 300 wafer-thin ceramic platelets to control the fuel injector nozzle allowing it to operate faster than other electro-mechanical fuel injectors to decrease fuel consumption and reduce emissions.

Ford Super Duty products in North America are also currently approved to use B5 fuel, which is composed of five percent biodiesel and 95 percent petroleum diesel. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made from soybean oil and other fats. Ford is continuing to work with North American biodiesel industry trade groups to establish biodiesel fuel quality standards that will allow the use of up to B20 (fuel containing 20 percent biodiesel, 80 percent petroleum diesel) in future model years. In Europe, our vehicles are also compatible with B5, and we are working with European fuel standards organizations to establish fuel-quality standards for biodiesel blends greater than B5. The use of biodiesel helps reduce dependence on foreign oil and reduces life-cycle CO2 emissions. For more information on biofuels please see the Renewable Biofueled Vehicles section.