Coasting Makes a Comeback! Fuel-Saving Tech Reboots Old School Driving Hack

For drivers of a certain age, coasting – switching off the engine while the car is still moving – was once a trick that was thought to help make a tank of fuel go a little further.

For many modern cars however, this practice is actually dangerous – causing key functions, such as the brakes and the steering, to no longer work.

Now, we have applied the theory of coasting to our newest mild hybrid cars – in a way that safely helps improve fuel efficiency and reduces emissions.

For some time, our vehicles have featured Auto Start-Stop technology that can shut down the engine of a stationary vehicle, then automatically restart it when the driver wants to move off.

New Stop-in-Gear tech safely stops the engine at speeds of up to 25 km/h (16 mph) and – with the help of the mild hybrid system’s powerful electric motor – restarts it again in less time than it takes to blink.

And that’s not all. Mild hybrid models, including Puma, Fiesta, Focus and Kuga passenger vehicles, as well as Transit, Transit Custom and Tourneo Custom vans and people movers, also capture energy through smart technology such as regenerative charging that is then used to help power the vehicle.

• Ford Puma EcoBoost Hybrid fuel efficiency from 4.3 l/100 km, CO2 emissions from 97 g/km NEDC 
• (5.5 l/100 km, 126 g/km WLTP)
• Ford Focus EcoBoost Hybrid fuel efficiency from 4.1 l/100 km, CO2 emissions from 94 g/km NEDC 
• (5.1 l/100 km, 115 g/km WLTP)
• Ford Fiesta EcoBoost Hybrid fuel efficiency from 4.0 l/100 km, CO2 emissions from 91 g/km NEDC 
• (5.0 l/100 km, 112 g/km WLTP)
• Ford Kuga EcoBlue Hybrid fuel efficiency from 4.3 l/100 km, CO2 emissions from 111 g/km NEDC 
• (5.0 l/100 km, 132 g/km WLTP) 
• Transit Van EcoBlue Hybrid from 5.5 l/100km, CO2 emissions from 143 g/km (NEDC) 
• (7.8 l/100km, 205 g/km WLTP) 
• Transit Custom EcoBlue Hybrid from 5.4 l/100km, CO2 emissions from 141 g/km (NEDC) 
• (6.9 l/100km, 182 g/km WLTP) 
• Tourneo Custom EcoBlue Hybrid from 6.3 l/100 km, CO2 emissions from 165 g/km NEDC 
• (7.2 l/100 km, 190 g/km WLTP)

The declared fuel/energy consumptions, CO2 emissions and electric range are determined according to the technical requirements and specifications of the European Regulations (EC) 715/2007 and (EU) 2017/1151 as last amended. Light Duty Vehicle type-approved using the World Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) will have fuel/energy consumption and CO2 emission information for New European Drive Cycle (NEDC) and WLTP. WLTP will fully replace the NEDC latest by the end of the year 2020. The applied standard test procedures enable comparison between different vehicle types and different manufacturers. During NEDC phase-out, WLTP fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are being correlated back to NEDC. There will be some variance to the previous fuel economy and emissions as some elements of the tests have altered, so the same car might have different fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

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