1981 Ford AFV - AllCarIndex

DEARBORN, Mich., January 7 — Ford Motor Company today unveiled a sporty two-passenger urban concept car that operates on natural gas or methane — the same fuel used to heat homes.

Unveiled at the Ford Design Center, the car also has the capability of being refueled at home with a special compressor unit, freeing the owner of reliance on gasoline stations or the threat of long lines in the event of a gasoline shortage.

Ford research and design executives told news media representatives that a mass-produced methane-fueled car would be slightly more expensive than a comparable gasoline-fueled vehicle, but the fuel cost would be substantially less than gasoline. They noted that natural gas is an excellent automobile fuel and the nation's natural gas resources are estimated to be 1,000 trillion cubic feet — enough to last 50-60 years at present consumption rates.

Ford Research Vice President Dr. W. Dale Compton said that the car -- called AFV, for alternative fuel vehicle — symbolizes the company's commitment to alternative fuel development. He said that AFV, which also can be modified to run on methanol, ethanol or propane, will debut at the Detroit Auto show this month and next May will be the highlight of the Ford exhibit at the Knoxville World's Fair.

"The purpose of the company's alternative fuel research program is to demonstrate to the American people that a petroleum shortage need not alter their basic style of living because the United States has an abundance of energy resources that can be converted into transportation fuel," he said. "Our long-range goal is that no matter which fuel or fuels replace or supplement gasoline, Ford will be able to build vehicles that will run efficiently and economically on those fuels."

Dr. Compton noted that the decline in gasoline prices and the worldwide surplus of petroleum -- above the ground — is throwing a smokescreen on the energy situation. "Despite the fact that pump prices are declining and there is no threat of gasoline lines, U.S. petroleum reserves are declining, and unless we do something about it, we will become more dependent on foreign oil.

"The point is that we can do something about it. Our petroleum reserves may be declining, but the nation is not running out of energy. In fact, the United States is the most energy-rich nation in the world." He pointed out that the U.S. has energy resources from which transportation fuel can be made, such as coal, natural gas, lignite, tar sands, oil shale and solid wastes. In addition, there are various renewable resources such as grain, vegetable matter and waste that can be converted into energy.

Dr. Compton stated that Ford is taking the long-range view on transportation fuel. "We are continuing our research and development effort and we are working with the energy companies to bring this technology to market as soon as it is economically feasible."

He noted that just last month production started on propane-fueled Ford Granadas and Mercury Cougars for; sale in Canada and these same cars will be offered early in 1982 in the United States. In May, 1981, Ford began production of medium- and heavy-duty propane-fueled trucks. These are the first factory-engineered propane vehicles offered by a North American vehicle manufacturer. Also, Ford has sold more than 40,000 ethanol-fueled cars in Brazil and is working with the State of California and Los Angeles County on a fleet of 40 Escorts that operate on methanol.

Thomas J. Feaheny, vice president - Vehicle Research for Ford, said that even though Ford is convinced that methanol, or wood alcohol, has the most promise as a long-term replacement for petroleum because it can be made from our abundant coal resources, there are other fuels that could help us achieve energy independence, and one of these is natural gas or methane.

He pointed out that methane is available now in volume — unlike methanol — with virtually every urban area of the United States connected to a natural gas resource. It is also less expensive than gasoline and even with anticipated price increases due to deregulation, it is expected to remain cheaper. "Today's price is the equivalent of paying 90 cents a gallon and we estimate that even with decontrol of methane prices by 1990, methane would be 15 to 20 percent less expensive than gasoline," he said.

Mr. Feaheny said that modifications to the 1.6 liter CVH engine that powers the AFV included replacing the carburetor with a fuelmetering system that will handle gas instead of liquid fuel, adding a pressure-reducer regulator, and modifying the camshaft to improve low-end torque. To take advantage of methane's high octane — 130 versus gasoline's 91 -- the compression ratio was increased from 8.4:1 to 13.6:1.

Because of the relatively low energy density of methane, it is necessary to store it in the vehicle at high pressure to achieve suitable driving range. The AFV fuel is stored at 2500 PSI, which provides the energy equivalent of 6.6 gallons of gasoline. Thus, the AFV, which gets an estimated equivalent of 32 miles per gallon in city driving, has a cruising range of 210 miles in the city.

Mr. Feaheny pointed out that aluminum fuel tanks are isolated from the passenger compartment with a sheet metal casing so that in the unlikely event of fuel leakage the gas would be harmlessly vented outside the vehicle.

In discussing the design characteristics of the AFV, Ford Design Vice President Donald F. Kopka said that aerodynamics played a major role. "Our objective was to develop a sporty urban car, but from the first stroke of the pen the principles of aerodynamics were guiding the designers' hands."

The AFV has a sleek rounded look, flush glass, front spoiler, rear fender skirts and a sloping hood. Mr. Kopka said that the AFV is a front-wheel-drive car which puts some limitations on just how much slope can be achieved with the hood. "To maximize the slope, we asked the development engineers to devise a side-draft, fuel-metering system which took at least two inches off the height of the engine and helped us achieve the lowest possible hood."

Mr. Kopka noted that in addition to using coefficient of drag to measure aerodynamic characteristics, Ford now uses a more comprehensive measurement — aero horsepower. Aero horsepower is the power required to move a vehicle at 50 miles per hour on a level highway.

It is determined by multiplying the square-foot area of the front view silhouette of the car by the coefficient of drag and a constant factor (.8) which is a function of the air density and air velocity.

"The aero horsepower of mid-sized cars like a Ford Fairmont is around 7.7," he explained. "A subcompact car like the Mercury LN7 — which has one of the best CDs in the domestic industry — is 30 percent better at 5.3 horsepower.

"The AFV has a CD of .32, and an aero horsepower rating of 5.0. However, with some modifications the CD could be reduced even more.

Our tests have shown that with the addition of an underbody shield, a shield for the radiator support flange, a mid-chassis underbody shield for the exhaust tunnel, and an edge for the rear deck, the AFV could achieve a CD of .28 or an aero horsepower of 4.4"

In summing up, Dr. Compton said that there are some major problems to be solved before we can take full advantage of the alternatives to petroleum. "The biggest obstacles are building the production and distribution systems, particularly for alcohol. This will require massive amounts of capital.

"Ideally, we would want the free market to handle the financing of these facilities, because history tells us it is the most effective and efficient way to do it," he said.

"However, the free market may not be able to react quickly enough to avoid supply interruptions," Dr. Compton explained. "Thus, it may become necessary for the government to play some sort of role. Ford is not recommending any particular approach. However, as a start, the government could take the lead by initiating and participating in a dialogue between the energy industry and the automotive manufacturers.

"Ford already has had preliminary discussions with producers of alcohol and natural gas and we have found that they share our interests in these issues."

Engine & performance:

Position: front

Type: Ford CVH, 4-cylinder

Capacity: 1597 cc