1996 Ford Synergy 2010

Official press release:

FORD’S SYNERGY 2010 CONCEPT CAR EXPLORES FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN IDEAS

Dearborn, Mich., Dec. 13 -- Ford’s scientists, engineers and designers have created a new concept car test-bed to explore the technological frontiers of the circa-2010 family car.

Incorporating advanced technologies evolving from defense and space programs as well as design cues borrowed from race cars, the new Synergy 2010 is a dramatically styled concept car that also explores futuristic alternatives that could theoretically triple the fuel efficiency of a typical family sedan.

Alex Trotman, Ford’s chairman and chief executive officer, unveiled the concept car at the company’s year-end news conference today. It will be on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit from Jan. 6-15.

"Synergy 2010 is a good example of the kind of quantum leap, breakthrough thinking we’re encouraging in our new global alignment," Trotman said. "It’s also a good example of our focus on affordability — the ground rules are that its costs will have to be comparable to today’s mid-sized car.

"This is very much a ’stretch’ exercise, especially when it comes to making this advanced technology affordable," he continued. "But pushing the leading edge is what we’re all about these days."

Experimental 1.0-liter engine, flywheel provide ’hybrid’ power

"A key purpose of this concept car is to explore how some intriguing, extremely fuel efficient technologies could be packaged in a well styled car of the future," explained Bob Mull, director of New Generation Vehicle programs.

Loaded with advanced technology features, it’s one-third lighter and 40 percent more aerodynamic than today’s sleekest Ford, yet still roomy enough for a family of six.

The Synergy 2010 is a "hybrid electric" vehicle, which, generally defined, contains two power sources — usually an. internal combustion or gas turbine engine or fuel cell, and a second power source, such as a flywheel or battery.

In the Synergy 2010, a small, 1.0-liter direct-injection, compression-ignited engine mounted in the rear would power a generator that produces electricity for motors located in each wheel. Up front, a flywheel would collect excess engine and braking energy, which in turn would be released to augment the engine when, for example, the car needed to accelerate quickly or climb hills.

In a direct-injection, compression-ignited engine, high pressure or heat is used instead of spark plugs to ignite the fuel, resulting in higher efficiency. Theoretically, the Synergy 2010's performance with this smaller engine would be comparable to today’s mid-sized family sedan because of its decreased weight, improved aerodynamics and lower rolling resistance.

"The Synergy 2010 is not a buildable product at this time," Mull explained. "It still requires extensive research on many of the design and technology concepts and their manufacturing processes to make it an affordable product. But it does reflect the variety of technologies that we’re exploring to make our cars and trucks more efficient and environmentally friendly."

Lightweight materials also improve efficiency

At 2,200 pounds, the Synergy 2010 weighs in about 1,100 pounds lighter than a mid-sized sedan today. Trimming pounds from the concept car with the use of advanced materials also was critical to improving its fuel economy.

Planning for all-aluminum unibody construction of the car was the primary contributor to weight-savings, cutting about 400 pounds. Because of this basic weight reduction, other components sized according to vehicle mass - such as the engine, flywheel, radiator and brakes — also could be down-sized, saving about 300 pounds.

"Since 1992 Ford has had an intensive effort under way to increase its use of aluminum and already, we lead the worldwide auto industry in its use on high-production vehicle lines," said Bill Stuef, manager of Vehicle Design and Proportion Techology.

"The company used 25 million pounds of aluminum sheet in 1995, about five times more than all other auto manufacturers combined. Ford also leads the industry in aluminum stamping expertise.

"But while Ford now is close to bringing baseline manufacturing costs for aluminum in line with those of steel, aluminum material costs still are up to four times higher," he explained. "We’re working closely with aluminum suppliers on innovations to bring this lightweight metal’s costs down dramatically," he added.

Ford expects that aluminum could be used in the construction of other key components on the Synergy 2010 — including the suspension and brakes — for additional weight savings. And the company foresees using more high-strength, low-alloy steel as well as other advanced, lightweight alternative materials including composites and magnesium on key components to continue the whittling.

Fins, spoilers and ’air fences ’ manage air flow

No longer driven to plan around conventional powertrain technology, the concept car’s design team found they could "throw out the book" and rethink all aspects of the car’s styling.

"The Synergy 2010 reflects a comprehensive design effort to combine both aesthetics and technology -- form and function - in a complete vehicle," said Rick Wells, chief designer on the project. Dramatically improving aerodynamics to improve the car’s fuel economy was a key consideration.

"The car’s most distinctive design element — the fin-shaped vertical front fenders -- begin as 12-inch-high, half-inch-wide light manifolds, then sweep back toward the car’s streamlined body to create an air extractor for the cooling system. They also house the rear-view cameras that replace rear-view mirrors, and they function as air-management devices - like ’air fences’ in Formula One racing - to control the air along the sides," Wells said.

The fenders surround a front bumper that also acts as a spoiler — as in many race cars -- to help cut aerodynamic drag and improve fuel economy. Synergy 2010’s coefficient of drag is .20. This, along with a reduced frontal area, results in a 40 percent improvement in aerodynamics compared with Ford’s most streamlined car today, the Ford Taurus.

The Synergy 2010 also features an. all-glass roof, which is vacuum-coated with layered solar load reduction films that reflect summer heat and retain winter heat. Solar cells in the roof power a fan that purges hot air from inside when the car is parked -- a technology concept borrowed from Ford’s Ecostar electric vehicle demonstration program.

Futuristic features have global outlook

As if imagining what this car of the future would look like inside and out weren’t enough, Synergy 2010 designers took the project one step further by exploring some other features that could potentially be on board a 2010 family car:

Voice activation: To maximize spaciousness and minimize information overload, virtually all the electronic controls are voice-activated — resulting in an instrument panel totally devoid of switches, levers or buttons. The driver monitors vehicle basics by checking a heads-up display projected onto a glass card from a computerized "sourced image" at the back of the steering wheel. Here, colorful computer animation updates vehicle speed, tachometer, temperature and the like. Designers also demonstrate how this system could act as a futuristic video answering machine.

A separate liquid crystal message center positioned in the middle of the instrument panel comes alive when voice-activated. Here, the driver can access features like an advanced navigation system, the entertainment system, climate controls — even the Yellow Pages™. This message center is flanked by screens relaying video from the rearview cameras.

Aircraft design: The steering wheel design resembles an aircraft yoke, with the top and bottom thirds of the rim removed so that the driver has an unobscured view of the electronic displays as well as easier entry and egress.

Easily left- or right-hand-drive: Also reminiscent of aircraft, the car’s steering column attaches to a cantilevered arm mounted in the center of the vehicle. This makes the vehicle easily adaptable for manufacture for either right- or-left-hand drive markets.

New seating concepts: The driver’s seat stays put while the accelerator and brake pedals adjust forward or back, up to six inches, to get the leg length just right.

The steering column telescopes, too. The seat moves vertically and reclines, and when it does, the armrest moves with it. The driver and front passenger seat also are extremely lightweight, foregoing thick padding for see-through webbing in strategic points, while still providing expected comfort and support.

Safety features: The Synergy 2010 features integral seat restraints, seat belt pretensioning, an automatically-retracting rear headrest, an advanced integral child safety seat and a design that would accommodate future head-and-chest side-impact air bags.

Lighting: The dramatic front headlights feature high-intensity discharge lighting, while tail lamps and turn signals stand out in neon. Projection lighting is featured on the fog lamps.

In 1993 the Clinton Administration announced a new organization known as PNGV, which stood for Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles. Their goals were to greatly improve the fuel efficiency, recyclability and levels of emissions while maintaining comparable performance, utility, safety and cost of ownership of vehicles. The partners included USCAR (the U.S. Council for Automotive Research which included Ford, GM and Chrysler), several federal agencies, U.S. DOE national laboratories, universities and suppliers.

The Ford Synergy 2010 concept was very much conceived with the aims of the PNGV in mind and was Ford's forward-looking vision of a family car for the year 2010. It made its debut at the 1996 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. Designers of the Synergy 2010 concept announced that this concept had been designed to achieve 80 miles per gallon fuel efficiency at one-third the weight of conventional cars. The concept announced that power would be supplied by a hybrid system that was a 1.0 liter direct-injection petrol engine which fed an electric motor. Naturally to achieve these fuel efficiencies, the concept had to save weight and the design envisaged coming in at under one ton thanks to its construction using lightweight materials. Aerodynamic styling was again highly advanced and in addition the concept introduced state of the art voice recognition controls which were connected to heads-up computer screens.

The exterior of the Ford Synergy 2010 concept grabs onlookers' attention in every aspect. Dramatic blade-shaped front fenders take off from a dual level nose instantly recognizable as derived from a race car's splitter and front wing. The fenders terminate abruptly at the front doors' leading edges leaving a vertical gap between their trailing edge and the body. The window sills are sharply stepped. The rear doors flow into fully skirted nearly vertical rear fenders with rocker panels that curve sharply upward. Rear fenders are sharply peaked and the upward sloping floor panel behind the rear axle line has longitudinal ridges - a race car rear diffuser's shape that complements the nose splitter and wing.

The Ford Synergy 2010 concept's front doors are conventionally hinged while the rear doors are hinged at the back. There is no center post, so occupants' access is unobstructed. Given that one of the Ford Synergy 2010 concept's primary purposes was to highlight the voice recognition-influenced interior, it is likely that it was more important for show goers to have an unobstructed view than that potential occupants would be able to alight gracefully.

Since voice recognition technology is the basis for most of the concept's functions, its interior is almost completely free from the knobs, buttons, sliders, dials and switches that bedevil interior designers and frequent car renters who are constantly challenged by differing control layouts. Only an array of three color display screens in the center of the dashboard, a yoke-style steering wheel and a heads-up display screen atop the steering column disclose that there might possibly be something going on. The interior is poshly upholstered in grey cloth with subtle magenta accents. Both front and rear seats are bench style with thin adjustable seat backs and fold down armrests.

The Ford Synergy 2010 concept rides on giant 19" wheels with flat aerodynamic plastic wheel covers. Tires are skinny E195/55R-19s to present minimal frontal area to reduce drag. A full interior, platform-based fiberglass concept, the Ford Synergy 2010 is in excellent show-ready condition with good cosmetics and working doors. While not fully operational, as envisaged in the year 2010, the concept does have a highly realistic simulation of the technology for the future. Running off a CD-ROM program, a number of voice commands are instantly recognized and the computer screen will display such functions as radio/CD player/the weather forecast/temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius. In its early show days the Ford Synergy 2010 was also able to display the rear view transmitted through "pencil light" cameras hidden in the front fender, but these have since been removed. To maneuver this concept a cord box is used to electronically turn the front wheel. The titanium frost pearl paint is unblemished.

Not only was the Ford Synergy 2010 concept a tremendous hit on the show circuit, but in addition it was brought to a number of PNGV events to demonstrate the way forward in the future. It attracted tremendous crowds when shown at the American Museum of Science and Energy.

In this case, "Synergy" is an accurately applied name to describe the hybrid electric powertrain that one day may power our vehicles of the future. It also embodies the stunning visual effect of the radically designed, yet highly elegant aerodynamically designed coachwork of the Ford Synergy 2010 concept.

SOURCE: Christie’s

Engine & performance:

Position: four electric wheel motors + mounted aft of rear seat

Type: electric + internal combustion 4-cylinder engine

Capacity: 1-liter

Power: 4x15kW