Hasta La Gadget!

Ford has announced a new system that is designed to extend the electric only driving range of its hybrid and electric vehicles. The system is called EV+, and Ford has a patent pending on the system. EV+ is part Ford’s SmartGauge system that is standard on many of Ford’s plug-in hybrids, including the C-Max and others.

The system combines the integrated GPS of Ford Sync with some proprietary software algorithms Ford engineers developed to learn frequent destinations for the vehicle. Once those frequent destinations have been learned, EV+ adjusts how electric power stored in the vehicle battery packs is used to power the vehicle.

The system then learns when a vehicle is near a frequent destination, such as your home, and will remain in electric-only mode if possible. Normally, the vehicle would switch between electric and gasoline modes depending on the speed among other things. Ford says that the positional data the system requires and saves can be deleted and the feature can be turned off at the press of a button.

When the system detects that the vehicle is within a radius of 1/8 of a mile or 200 m a frequent stop the ability to stay in electric-only mode is increased. Drivers will know that EV+ is engaged because a EV+ light on the dash will light up.

Ford announces Hybrid EV+ feature promising better electric driving range is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Ford has been integrating voice control technology into its vehicles for years. The voice control technology was made in cooperation with Microsoft and is called Sync. Ford and Microsoft are celebrating five years of Sync availability and the 5 millionth vehicle to roll off the assembly line featuring Sync.

The collaboration between Ford and Microsoft began in 2005. Ford says that with its partner for software, Microsoft, it was able to turn the car into a platform with opportunities for developers to work with Ford to add value and features in the vehicle to support mobile phones and other devices. One of the key features of Ford Sync is the system’s ability to be upgraded allowing new features, and at times fixes, to be applied to the system.

Sync does many things for drivers, including supporting hands-free communication via Bluetooth technology with the smartphone. Sync is also tightly integrated to the vehicle controls allowing drivers to press a steering wheel mounted button and tell the car what radio station they want to listen to or the temperature to set the climate control system. Ford says that the ability to upgrade the system was important because a vehicle spends on average 10 years driving the roads where as mobile phones and electronics are upgraded every one to two years on average.

Sync was first announced at CES in January of 2007. The first Ford vehicle to come with available Sync was the 2008 Focus. The voice commands functionality of the system is powered by Nuance voice control technology. The Sync system continues to evolve and now allows drivers to control their smartphone and some apps using voice commands.

Ford and Microsoft celebrate 5 millionth Sync equipped vehicle is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Ford has been marred with some pretty major issues lately, the latest being a new preliminary investigation by the NHTSA over reports of 2000 to 2003 Taurus and Mercury Sables experiencing sticking throttles. This investigation follows one initiated earlier this year into reports of sticky throttles in 2001 through 2006 Taurus and Sables. Now the company has taken another blow, falling from its high position in Consumer Reports’ reliability rankings to the bottom rungs of the proverbial ladder.

Three years ago, Ford was the only domestic automaker reported by Consumer Reports as having “world class reliability.” This no doubt makes it more painful for Ford in its drop to 27th position, outranking only Tata’s Jaguar. Lincoln came in at 26th. Despite the recent problems with throttles, the majority of the negative feedback that harmed the company’s ranking revolved around problems with MyFord Touch/MyLincoln Touch and the Sync system, which allows drivers to go hands-free. Also cited were issues with poor shifting.

Said Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports’ director of auto testing: “Without MyFord Touch they would do a lot better. But they did have other issues, growing pains with new models.” According to a Ford spokesman, changes have been implemented with MyFord Touch and the Powershift transmission that reflect positively in customer surveys, but that were not reflected in the Consumer Reports’ findings.

Japanese manufacturers ended up dominating this year’s survey, while no domestic models made it into the top ten. Chrysler also had a bad year, with Jeep falling six places to 19th. Said Chrysler quality chief Doug Betts, “We do know that our warranty claim data was 25% better for 2012 model year than 2011 model year, so we had expected this survey to show improvement.”

[via Detroit Free Press]

Ford falls in Consumer Reports’ reliability survey is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We already know that Ford is redesigning its iconic pony car, the Mustang for 2015. The new vehicle will celebrate the 50th birthday of the Mustang and is expected to debut on April 17, 2014. If that date is accurate, it would be exactly 50 years to the day since the original Mustang one on sale.

Any changes to one of Ford’s most iconic vehicles is sure to draw its share of ire from fans. So far, we’ve heard rumblings that the 2015 Mustang would be significantly changed from the existing vehicles both visually and technologically. Car & driver reports that the 2015 version of the Mustang won’t differ much from the existing car dimensionally.

It will have an all-new unibody with a slightly narrower track in the front and rear. The wheelbase is expected to be less than an inch shorter than the current car. One of the key changes is that the 2015 will get a MultiLink independent rear suspension that should expand rear seat space and cargo space in the next-generation vehicle.

Changes under the hood of the 2015 are expected to be announced. Whereas the car comes with a base V6 and three different V-8 engines currently, Ford is tipped to use a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine in some international versions of the new Mustang. Scuttlebutt says that we will see a four-cylinder in the US and there will be a turbocharged direct-injected 2.4-liter four-cylinder available. Word is that boosted four-cylinder engine will be an upgrade over the current base V6 and will have around 250 hp or more. The 5.0-liter V8 engine will continue with the same 420 hp output with another Boss 302 coming tipped to produce 450 HP. What will happen to the Shelby GT500 remains to be seen.

[via Car & Driver]

Details on the 2015 Ford Mustang surface is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

So there you are, walking around on the world’s most advanced aircraft carrier. Everything around you is a multi-million dollar machine packed with advanced technology. Then something propped in the corner catches your eye. Is that an old wooden ladder? What the hell is that doing here? More »