Fuel-saving mild-hybrid system under development for new-gen Ford Ranger ute and Everest SUV
Ford has confirmed a mild-hybrid drivetrain is under development for the 2022 Ford Everest SUV and other members of the T6 platform family including the popular Ford Ranger ute.
While Ford has previously made clear the new third-generation T6 platform has been ‘package-protected’ for electrification, no further detail had been provided.
But during a media briefing ahead of tonight’s new-generation 2022 Ford Everest reveal, T6 chief engineer Ian Foston confirmed a 50mm stretch in wheelbase – all added to the front of the vehicle – aids in the fitment of a mild-hybrid transmission between the engine bell housing and the transmission.
The new Everest and Ranger, the US Ford Bronco off-roader and the next-gen Volkswagen Amarok are all based on the third-gen T6 platform.
Unlike full hybrid and plug-in hybrid systems, mild hybrids act only as a support to the internal combustion engine and don’t run on their own.
They provide a power and torque boost and often provide smoother stop-start functions.
While the system is confirmed, it is not part of the launch drivetrain line-up for the Ranger due out in Australia around mid-year, or the Everest, which will following within months.
Ford already has mild-hybrid technology in multiple petrol and diesel vehicles globally including the Fiesta, Puma, Tourneo, Transit Custom and Transit.
Foston indicated to carsales the T6 mild-hybrid system would be influenced by existing systems, rather than a clean-sheet design.
“The mild-hybrid transmission is a Ford-catalogued part that has been used on a number of rear-wheel and four-wheel drive products that sit in that area,” he said.
“So it’s not new technology from that perspective. It is an off-the-shelf utilised mild-hybrid part of the drivetrain.
“It doesn’t take much to go back and look at Ford products and see what they deploy.”
PHEV a step away
While Foston specifically talked about mild-hybrid in his briefing, he clarified to carsales that the system could also be used for a plug-in powertrain as well.
“The mild-hybrid portion of the drivetrain is suitable for a number of applications whether that’s a plug-in hybrid, whether it’s more of a mild hybrid with a smaller battery,” he said.
“I’m sure we’ll have more to say about all this in months and years to come.”
In the Ford Transit, the mild-hybrid system uses a belt-driven starter/generator instead of a conventional alternator in combination with a version of the Panther 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine already used by T6.
The system captures energy when the vehicle brakes or decelerates, storing this as charge in the 48V air-cooled lithium-ion battery pack and using it to power the van’s electrical ancillaries and provide improved torque under acceleration and during normal driving.
This reduces load on the diesel engine and, in combination with an engine idle-stop feature, delivers claimed fuel savings of up to three per cent on average – or as much as eight per cent in start/stop urban conditions.
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Keyword: Ford Ranger and Ford Everest hybrids confirmed