Best way to tackle the tightening noose of regulations.
American carmaker Ford has adopted a strategy for Europe that, coming 2020, will see its evergreen Focus & Fiesta models adopt 48V mild-hybrid powertrains. This should drastically decrease their fleet-wide emissions numbers, given the sheer volume that the two models contribute to Ford’s annual sales there.
Crucially, as Ford is keen to point out, the mild-hybrid systems offer the ability to increase the fun-factor in both the Fiesta and Focus, in addition to saving fuel & tailpipe emissions. The justification behind this is that a mild-hybrid system, which runs an integrated starter motor into a 48V battery that can then feed that motor back when needed, will be able to fill torque-gaps left by turbo-lag, leading to a more immediate throttle response. Additionally, the mild-hybrid electric motor would also mean that Ford would be able to fit a larger turbocharger to their 1.0-litre EcoBoost mill, offering more power as a result.
In theory, the MHEV system should also allow the engine to be shut down when coasting to a halt, and also smoothen out the start-up process allowing for smooth transitions from off to on (and vice versa). The MHEV system should also allow for slow-speed all-electric driving, perfect for when you’re caught in traffic.
It’s unclear if the mild-hybrid powertrains for the Focus and Fiesta will be offered here though, as Ford’s citation of emissions regulations that aren’t currently available here could lead the American carmaker to source our cars from an assembly plant that won’t offer MEHv
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