FORD committed to Electric Power Steering (EPS) systems by 2012

[ColdwaterHotrod]

This isn't what I wanted to post for my 6,000th posting, but thought it had to be told ASAP

 

 

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING IMPROVES PRODUCT LINEUP

 

By Jennifer LaForce, Special to FCN Online

 

DEARBORN, March 31, 2008 – Ford Motor Company has made a commitment to fit 80 to 90 percent of its Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products with electric power steering (EPS) systems by 2012, improving the overall fuel economy, performance and reliability of the company's lineup.

 

The 2008 Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner, and their respective hybrid models are already benefiting from EPS. For 2009, Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ will join these products, with other new and refreshed vehicles, including the Ford Mustang, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, to follow over the next three years.

 

The EPS system in the Escape and Mariner is highly sophisticated with features such as active returnability and active damping that help correct for road irregularities and improve overall handling and steering feel. EPS also improves fuel economy, because unlike the common hydraulic-powered systems that continuously draw power from the engine, EPS draws power from an independent electric motor only as needed. According to some estimates, this on-demand capability can equal up to a one-mile per gallon improvement in fuel efficiency. For Escape, EPS and a number of other new features and technologies contribute to an 8 percent increase in fuel economy versus the previous model.

 

The trend toward electric-powered steering continues to grow within the global auto industry. In Western Europe, for example, 6.1 million passenger cars and light trucks will be equipped with various EPS systems in 2007. That's up from 3.3 million vehicles in 2003, according to just-auto.com. Ford estimates that utilization of electric-powered steering in North America will increase approximately 36% by 2011.

 

"We have a very aggressive plan that by the time we finish with our migration in 2012, we will have a strong position as one of the leaders in this technology," says Brad Hochrein, Ford technical specialist, Electrical Steering.

 

For more than 50 years, hydraulic-powered steering systems have dominated the auto industry, even though they have several major disadvantages:

 

* These systems are powered by a hydraulic pump, a major source of parasitic engine power loss and decreased fuel economy – the pump is always operational even when steering assist is not required.

 

* These systems are a complicated mix of maintenance-intensive components that are prone to leaks, breaks, replacement and repairs -- including pumps, hoses, hydraulic fluid, drive belts and pulleys. In fact, leaks are one of the leading causes of present steering-related warranty claims.

 

* These multi-part systems require large amounts of premium under-the-hood space.

 

* These systems are a source of block-mounted engine noise due to potential vibration from the hydraulic pump.

 

* These systems pose recycling and environmental issues – where does all the old hydraulic fluid go?

 

In contrast, EPS systems do not require engine power to operate and draw electric power only as needed, improving efficiency and extending component life; are reasonably compact and offer some weight savings, equating to packaging flexibility and easier vehicle assembly; are quiet since there is no need for an engine-mounted pump; and eliminates the need for hydraulic fluid in the first place. In addition, EPS systems represent a CO2 emissions savings of approximately 3.5 percent since they operate on demand.

 

According to Hochrein, the Escape and Mariner are already showing signs that EPS can positively impact a customer's cost of ownership equation. Both vehicles have seen a significant improvement in terms of warranty repairs related to steering....

 

For the rest of the Story CLICK HERE

[ingram4868]

Sounds interesting, I wonder what this "independent electric motor" is all about.

[ColdwaterHotrod]

I wonder if you can still manually move the steering wheel if it blows a fuse?

[ingram4868]

I wonder if you can still manually move the steering wheel if it blows a fuse?

 

That could be bad anytime, but on track days at speed

[Gun Oil]

This isn't what I wanted to post for my 6,000th posting, but thought it had to be told ASAP

 

 

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING IMPROVES PRODUCT LINEUP

 

By Jennifer LaForce, Special to FCN Online

 

 

* These systems(read "hydraulic") pose recycling and environmental issues – where does all the old hydraulic fluid go? [/b]

 

For the rest of the Story CLICK HERE

 

 

Morons......it is recycled right along with waste oil from engines....Making something out of nothing!

 

I do this for a living....no issues here.

[ilmor]

Sounds like another reason to hang on to my '07!

 

The though of it failing at high speed is scary - what are the default / fail safes?

[twobjshelbys]

I continue to wonder how they are going to deliver all of these electric assists from a 12V power source. The auto industry was making noises about a higher voltage system some time ago - whatever happened? I recall that there was a threshold of something like 40V at which time some fusing/safety thing became a dominant factor so I recall 36V being the magic number.

[JeffJ]

In the Grand-Am Rolex series, the Daytona Prototypes and some of the GT cars run electric power steering systems today. They work really well. So there are many real wold applications out there already using this technology. And yes, your steering is still connected to the rack, so you would still have steering even if the electric system failed.

[interceptor]

this system has been around a long time. it's about time ford got off there duff and started using them.there less parts, weight, and mass. it's all one unit on the rack.they work better than any conventional p/s system. best of all they free up horsepower.

[Son of GT]

It really is a good fail-safe system, AND it will reduce the load off of the engine because it won't have to turn a pump anymore. No joke, having electric power steering could add another 2 to 5 H.P. to the car.

 

For what it's worth, all Mini Coopers have electric power steering. Listen to one being parked and you won't hear the familar pump-pressure sound that we are used to hearing, you'll hear an electric motor sound instead.

[rpretzel]

It really is a good fail-safe system, AND it will reduce the load off of the engine because it won't have to turn a pump anymore. No joke, having electric power steering could add another 2 to 5 H.P. to the car.

 

For what it's worth, all Mini Coopers have electric power steering. Listen to one being parked and you won't hear the familar pump-pressure sound that we are used to hearing, you'll hear an electric motor sound instead.

 

How much is it really saving. You've got to power that new electric motor which puts more demand on the charging system which then puts more demand on the engine. Are you really saving that much?

[mciarochi]

That's interesting. I don't see any particular downside to the electric pump. Think in terms of an electric radiator fan, or an electric water pump, both of which are used in high performance applications - I use both in my big-block f-100.

 

Since all power steering is an assist anyway, it wouldn't be any scarier than losing a hydraulic pump, which is probably more likely to fail than an electric.

[nilkilla]

running away with topic...

PLEASE FORD GET US ELECTRIC DRIVEN A/C COMPRESSORS FOR OUR HYBRIDS LIKE TOYOTA ALREADY HAS ON OUR(FORD'S) "Proprietary" technology!!! especially here in florida...it is fun test driving an escape hybrid and having to turn a/c off to show full hybrid mode working....

 

ok running away again

[ilmor]

Do you think its possible that we would be able to get retrofit electric steering kits for our cars someday?

[Son of GT]

How much is it really saving. You've got to power that new electric motor which puts more demand on the charging system which then puts more demand on the engine. Are you really saving that much?

Yes, I believe that there are moderate savings to be had because alternators and automotive electronics with their microprocessors are much more efficent than they were years ago, so the additional load from the EPS onto the car's electrical system can be supported without taxing it.

 

JMO.