Ford and its Plans for Fuel Efficiency

There are three main auto manufacturers with headquarters in the United States and one of these is the Ford Motor Company, located in the Detroit area. In recent years, there has been a push for green technology and better fuel efficiency in new automobiles. Ford has made great strides in this area by offering many different options for the best fuel efficiency

One of the options that Ford offers is compressed natural gas, usually offered in some Crown Victoria models that serve as taxi's or some company fleet cars. Most of the time, these vehicles have two gas tanks operated by a switch to change from tank to tank while in operation.

Another option is the flex fuel option. This most common option is made to work with both ethanol from corn products, known as E85, and regular gasoline. These need gas stations that offer both types of fuel options and there are more and more available all the time. There are always new vehicles that are being added to the flex fuel list every year. Some of Ford's top selling flexfuel vehicles are the F-150, Focus, Taurus, Ranger, Explorer, and the Expedition.

Electric vehicles are another type of vehicle being introduced to the roads that are more environmental friendly than the gasoline using counter parts. Ford has high expectations for these vehicles in the future of the company. Because the government is demanding that the fuel economy in vehicles manufactured in the United States be better, Ford is investing a lot of money in this project.

A great way to combine both electricity and gasoline is the hybrid vehicle. This investment started in 2004 with an agreement with Toyota to share the available technology. In 2005, Ford's first hybrid vehicle, the Escape, was driven off the assembly line. This made the Dearborn-headquartered auto manufacturer the first one to make a fuel-efficient SUV. Because the technology is expensive, they were not able to produce enough are now doing research and work on electric hybrids and how their use may affect the energy grid. The hybrid vehicle uses gasoline, E85, and electricity so that it can be plugged in to save gas while driving shorter distances.

The future vehicles that Ford may produce may be run on hydrogen. They are used in some public transportation vehicles, but are still in the development process for smaller vehicles. This could significantly increase the fuel efficiency in its vehicles.

All of these technologies combined should greatly decrease the amount of emissions, noise levels, and help with the general health of the world's population due to less pollution ending up in the environment.