- World’s first Tri-Flex fuel engine: 12 percent better fuel
economy, 99 percent fewer CO2 emissions in hydrogen
mode and 500 miles between fill-ups
- Bold, American design and
innovation: Underscores the design and innovation that will define all
Ford vehicles going forward
- New level for interiors: Just as
F-150 set the standard for vehicle interiors, the F-250 Super Chief concept
shows Ford interior innovations for the future
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The
F-250 Super Chief’s bold, American design, first-class comfort and exceptional
traveling range were inspired by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway’s
Super Chief locomotive.
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DETROIT, Jan. 8, 2006 – The Ford F-250 Super Chief concept
takes truck leadership to a new level – as the world’s first vehicle
with Tri-Flex fueling, enabling the supercharged V-10 to run for 500 miles
between fill-ups on hydrogen, E85 ethanol or gasoline.
The tri-fuel
flexibility is one possible innovation by Ford to help pave the way for
hydrogen vehicles, as the nation’s ethanol and hydrogen fueling infrastructure
continues to develop.
The concept truck and its name are inspired by
the bold, American Super Chief trains of the nation’s past. Super Chief is
Ford’s most advanced, well-appointed pickup ever – designed to build on
the standard for interior excellence established by the new F-150.
Super Chief features an interior paneled in American walnut, brushed
aluminum and bold brown leather. Convenience features include bold
light-emitting diode (LED) headlamps, a full glass roof and automated ottoman.
Technology Innovation in a Bold American
Wrapper
The Ford F-250 Super Chief concept boldly foretells a
new era for pickup trucks that Ford intends to lead with bold, American design
and innovation – as it has for nearly three decades.
"F-250
Super Chief pays tribute to the bold optimism that is part of the American
character," says Peter Horbury, executive director, North America Design.
"The F-250 Super Chief’s innovations pave a new path for the American
truck. It’s a notion – and a modern design – so bold, it could
only come from Ford."
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Using
hydrogen, the Tri-Flex V-10 produces 400 lb.-ft. of torque and 99 percent
less CO2 than using gasoline.
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Running on hydrogen, the supercharged V-10 engine provides up to 12 percent
fuel economy improvement on an energy equivalent basis versus a
non-supercharged gasoline V-10 – and nearly 500 miles per fill-up. In
addition, when operating on hydrogen, the Tri-Flex V-10 generates 99 percent
less CO2 emissions than when running on gasoline.
The
world’s first Tri-Flex engine employes hydrogen, gasoline or E85 fuel.
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Hydrogen is the ultimate
clean fuel of the future. It is not only the cleanest fuel, it is the most
abundant element on Earth. E85 ethanol is a domestic, renewable, greenhouse
gas-friendly fuel.
"The Tri-Flex fuel engine encourages the
development of the hydrogen fuel infrastructure for the best future mobility
solution," says Dr. Gerhard Schmidt, vice president, Research and
Advanced Engineering. "It also drives the expansion of the domestic
ethanol E85 fuel production and availability and, of course, provides our
customers the convenience of gasoline until these other fuels become more
readily available."
The Tri-Flex system leverages existing
powertrain technologies in which Ford has long held leadership. Since 1996,
Ford has led in production and sales of flex-fuel E85 ethanol/gasoline
vehicles. Ford has built more than 1.6 million flex-fuel vehicles that
operate on any mix of E85 and gasoline.
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The Ford
F-250 Super Chief epitomizes bold, American design and features an innovative
Tri-Flex fuel engine that can run on hydrogen, E85 or gasoline.
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In December 2005, a flex-fuel capable version of
the F-150 pickup went into production. Ford has committed to building more
than 250,000 flex-fuel vehicles in 2006. Ford flex-fuel vehicles offer the
customer convenience of filling one tank with E85 and/or gasoline.
The transition from hydrogen fuel power to either E85 or gasoline is
handled seamlessly through a dashboard-mounted switch and can occur while the
vehicle is in operation. Transition from either E85 or gasoline to hydrogen
requires that the vehicle be at idle to allow for proper engagement of the
supercharger, which only operates when the vehicle is powered by hydrogen.
Safe and Comfortable
While the
F-250 Super Chief has plenty of innovative tricks under its hood, it embraces
several of Ford Motor Company’s advanced safety technologies to help ensure
that occupants’ travels are not only comfortable, but also safe.
Safety technology such as BeltMinder™ and BlockerBeam™ are
among the innovative features on the F-250 Super Chief. BlockerBeam™
provides enhanced frontal crash compatibility with cars on the road, and
Ford’s patented BeltMinder™ technology will alert the driver when
occupants are not buckled up.
BeltMinder™ goes further than the
federally required safety belt reminder chiming system. In Ford vehicles, the
driver or front passenger who remains unbuckled is regularly reminded to
buckle up.
The system chimes and flashes a warning lamp for six
seconds every 30 seconds for five minutes or until the driver buckles up,
whichever comes first. The second-row BeltMinder™ technology will now
be able to alert the driver when second-row passengers have not buckled their
safety belts.
In addition, Ford’s unique frontal crash enhanced
underride protection system – called BlockerBeam™ – could
make the F-250 Super Chief more compatible with cars. The system helps F-250
Super Chief and a car better share energy during a crash.
During a
frontal collision with a car, the BlockerBeam™ is designed to make
contact with the frame rails of a car in an effort to prevent the car from
sliding beneath the higher-riding vehicle. Upon impact, the L-shaped brackets
bend, helping to disperse crash energy. This reduces the amount of intrusion
into the passenger compartment of the car and further reduces the risk of
serious injury to the car’s occupants.
Bold, American Exterior Design
The Ford
F-250 Super Chief concept projects the next level of rugged elegance for
full-size pickups, further stretching the world-famous F-Series lineup past
the F-250 Super Crew and F-250 King Ranch.
"Ford has been the
truck leader for so long, no one can remember it being any other way,"
says J Mays, group vice president, Design, and chief creative officer.
"The F-250 Super Chief boldly restates our leadership with a
quintessentially American truck."
The F-250 Super Chief’s
locomotive-inspired front-end appearance sets the tone, complemented by its
bold, imposing grille.
The pattern of the headlamps echoes the motif
of the interior’s coffered ceiling, with five-element/four-emitter LEDs behind
the optics.
Below the headlamps, sturdy tow hooks are integrated into the
fog lamps for a multifunctional look.
Even more pronounced from the
profile is the truck’s substantial cabin. Based on an F-250 Super Duty with
an 8-foot-long bed, F-250 Super Chief designers reallocated 2 feet of bed
space for the passenger compartment, which is accessible through
center-opening doors.
The F-250 Super Chief’s rear doors can be opened
independently of its front doors. An electronic release first extends the
rear three-pivot hinges out and slides them back slightly to open the rear
doors; an electronic motor pulls them closed.
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The
F-250 Super Chief features patent-pending rear-hinged rear doors that can open
independently of the front. Also visible are the coffered glass ceiling and
wood-planked cargo bed.
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Expressive details add beauty as well as functionality. The sculpted
cowling serves as an air intake for the V-10 engine, while pronounced vents
exhaust heat from the engine bay. Pronounced flares house the truck’s 24-inch
wheels, and Goodyear tires firmly plant the truck on the ground.
In
the rear, the tailgate hinges on both sides for greater utility. Inside the
bed, a wood-planked bed floor is ribbed with raised metal rub strips for easy
cargo loading. In addition, there’s an under-bed storage tray, which can be
accessed even when the cargo bed is full.
Interior Indulgence
The F-250 Super Chief concept delivers an interior design that’s rugged as
well as elegant in three materials: American walnut, brushed aluminum and rich
brown leather.
"Well-appointed vehicles are nothing new,"
Mays says. "But, as premium amenities and finishes become more ordinary,
we wanted to push the envelope and show our truck customers – and our
competitors – what a truly upscale, distinctly American pickup might
look like."
The entire roof of the F-250 Super Chief is glass,
bisected by a leather-wrapped grid of American walnut, allowing vista views.
The walnut, outlined in aluminum, lines the truck’s floors as well, carrying
through the design execution of the pickup bed. Viewed from above, through
the glass roof, the floor is smooth and integrated from cabin to the bed.
Rear seats allow for relaxation aided by ottomans that deploy
from the floor space.
The seats have separate cushions for the seat
bottoms and the backs, as well as individual integrated armrests that are not
part of the rear door panels.
The leather for the seats – as
it is throughout the rest of the cabin – is Spinneybeck, aniline-dyed in
a rich brown.
"While the F-250 Super Chief is an extreme example
of interior indulgence, our experience with trucks has shown that customers
want more interior comfort and amenities than ever," says Horbury.
"The current F-150 demonstrated that as far as we were willing to go on
interior comfort and design, our customers may be willing to go further.
"The Ford F-250 Super Chief concept allows us to better gauge where
the high end of rugged elegance just might be."
