A prototype of Ford's 3.5L EcoBoost engine. Click to enlarge.

When Ford announced the EcoBoost idea at this year's Detroit Auto Show, the main message was that this was a reasonable technology that could be implemented soon, would save people money by improving fuel economy without decreasing performance and that the improved engines would be paired with lighter cars to emphasize the fuel savings. Oh, and then there's that easy-to-remember tag line that its a V6 with the power of a V8.

Ford is moving full steam ahead with the EcoBoost project and will install the first production engines in the 2009 Lincoln MKS. Thus far, there have been hundreds of test engines built at the Dearborn testing facility and these have spent countless hours (well, we're dealing with engineers here, so these hours were probably actually counted) on the track and dynamometers. Ford is inviting journalists to Dearborn this week to get a close-up view of the EcoBoost technology and AutoblogGreen got to spend a few hours talking to the team and bolting a few parts to the test subject.

Read on after the jump for more.

Sometimes, it's the modest claims that sound the most honest. Sure, we'd love to have amazing electric cars that can go 250 miles between charges, last for 15 years and cost just $20,000, but that's not going to happen any time soon. Ford's recent announcement that its upcoming EcoBoost fuel-saving system will be able to save a driver hundreds of dollars in fuel costs a year strikes me as something that is not only realistic but also worth getting excited about if you're a Ford fan.

Ford says that the systems potential is to reduce fuel use by 20 percent. Apply that to an annual driving range of 15,000 miles and gas at $3.25 and you'll spend $340 less on gas each year. If that sounds good to you - and you're keen on the Lincoln MKS (pictured) where EcoBoost will debut in 2009 - then start thinking about how to spend your extra $340. Of course, in 2009, we just might need to recalculate that price. $3.25? Not at the rate things are going.

[Source: Ford]

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• EcoBoost.
• The ECOnetic brand, including the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, a car that emits under 100g/km of CO₂
• Flexifuel engines
• Compressed natural gas

These four items are the cornerstones of Ford of Europe's attempt to reduce the environmental impact of the Blue Oval across the pond. At the Geneva Motor Show today, Ford issued a wide-ranging press release (available after the jump) about the company's low-CO₂ targets. With Toyota continuing the all-hybrid line in Geneva and GM making their own waves with the Two-Mode BAS hybrid upgrade announcement today, the lack of a strong hybrid component is all too noticeable here. This is understandable considering the low popularity of hybrids in Europe today. Ethanol-capable and cleaner gasoline engines are the stars here, with CNG and LPG making an appearance as well. Will Ford's cornerstones be enough to win over increasingly eco-aware drivers?

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Now that all the major automakers have acknowledged the reality of both climate change and the need for increased fuel efficiency, they are all looking for ways to address the problems. Speaking at a preview prior to the 2008 Detroit Auto Show Ford Global Product Development VP Derrick Kuzak made it clear that in order to have any real impact, improvements need to start happening quickly and on a large scale. With a U.S. vehicle fleet approaching 200 million vehicles and only about 16 million new vehicles on the road each year, it takes 15-20 years to turn over the fleet to cleaner, more efficient vehicles.

In order to meet the total fleet CO₂ reductions that will be needed over the next several decades, millions of vehicles per year need to cleaned up - a few hundred to a few thousand vehicles won't have an impact. To achieve that, economically efficient solutions will be required so that car buyers can afford to buy. The first steps toward that for Ford will be weight reduction and gasoline-turbocharged-direct-injection (GTDI) engines. GTDI? Yes. Read on past the jump to learn more.


[Source: Ford]