2020 Review of the Year – In Case You Missed It Part 1

As 2020 turns into 2021, we’ve taken a look back at the highlights of the past year.

January

The year started with two new robotic employees joining some of our human colleagues. Designed by Agility Robotics, the two Digit robots are designed to walk upright and can climb stairs or be folded away to fit inside a vehicle, before being deployed to help move a package. The robots are being used to research their use in improving delivery efficiency to our customers.

In January we also announced that Transit vans could run on cooking oil. Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is made from recycled oil, including cooking oil from kitchens, restaurants and even homes. Once processed and used instead of regular diesel it can reduce greenhouse gases by up to 90 per cent, as well as a reduction in NOx and particulates too. 

This month saw the first race of the year for Team Fordzilla, our esports team, at Autosport International in the UK. Professional racers Anthony Diel (TFZ_Anto), Miguel Molina (kaiser_miguel) and Fernando Ochando (_Perpi) represented the team.

February

We kicked off with a new idea to help cyclists communicate with other road users more easily – the Emoji Jacket. The one-off prototype was commissioned as a part of our ‘Share The Road’ campaign, and uses a panel of LEDs that can display a number of emojis and symbols, allowing the rider to quickly and easily share their feelings in a way that is easy to understand.

We showed another idea to help drivers keep a look out for cyclists and scooter riders when getting out of their cars with our Exit Warning system. Using existing sensors, Exit Warning looks for road users approaching from behind and flashes a series of LEDs if it decides that opening a door would cause a collision. Currently in testing, engineers are also looking at a system that would stop the door from being fully opened until the danger has passed.

This month saw the first of our Go Electric events, held at London’s Marble Arch, showing how our current and future vehicles make switching to electrification easy. Alongside electrified versions of the Fiesta and Transit, Go Electric in London saw the European debut of the Mustang Mach-E,^1/2 our high-performance all-electric SUV.

March

We started our exciting Team Fordzilla P1 project, bringing together our design experts and the gaming community to create a brand-new digital racing car. Key decisions in the design of the car were made via Twitter polls, with the final design to be recreated in full-size model form as well as in the digital world.

Back in the real world we introduced our Road Edge Detection technology, a driver assistance system that uses a camera to constantly scan the road ahead. If it detects the vehicle is about to leave the road it offers steering support and a warning to help the driver stay on track,³ and can even work at night or when road markings are hidden by snow, leaves or rain.⁴

We introduced our ‘No Touch’ service policy in response to the coronavirus crisis. Customers relying on their vehicles were still able to access our workshops and service centres, with every vehicle fully sanitised after servicing, including the vehicle keys, as well as coverings on the vehicles seats, steering wheel and gear stick during the process. Customers could also view and approve any work required using a video check system, allowing them to do so remotely.

April

We explained how to create a stop-motion video with our Stay Home Rally, which was just one of the fun activities on the Ford Family Fun Hub – a place filled with entertaining things to do for kids (and adults) while staying indoors. Our stop-motion video featured a drifting Fiesta rally car and an ensemble cast of cuddly animals explaining how to stay safe at home.

For the grown-ups we shared tips on the best way to keep your car as clean and as hygienic as possible with some helpful advice from Dr. Jenny Dodman, Ford of Britain’s chief medical officer. With guidance on important areas to focus on both inside and out of the car, it also explained the best type of cleaning products to use – and those to avoid.

May

Tackling the issue of bird poop was on the agenda as we showed you how our specially-developed artificial bird poop replicated the acidic content of the real thing, and helped us to develop our protective coatings to keep your paint safe from attacks from above!

Several of our production facilities across Europe began production of both personal protective equipment for employees and ventilators for the National Health Service in the UK. Project Apollo was our global effort to produce PPE equipment and assist with local initiatives in helping reduce the spread of COVID-19.

This month also saw the introduction of the Explorer Plug-In Hybrid,^2/5 our seven-seat SUV that combines luxury and performance alongside pure electric driving capability without sacrificing its ability to tow heavy loads or go off-road.

June

We introduced the Trail and Active versions of our Transit family of commercial vehicles. The Transit Active, Transit Custom Active and Tourneo Custom Active bring a rugged exterior, improved rough-road ability and upgrades like full-length roof rails to suit customers with adventure in mind. The Transit Trail and Transit Custom Trail are designed for business users who work in tough conditions, and offer improved traction as well as the option of Intelligent All-Wheel Drive on Transit Trail for extra-challenging terrain.

We also announced the launch of an e-scooter hire service in Cologne, Germany by Spin, a Ford-owned company. The service cost €0.30 per minute with no unlock fee, and uses a dedicated app so users can find their nearest scooter, unlock it and pay for their ride.

There was more electric news as we revealed the first electrified Fiesta. The Fiesta EcoBoost Hybrid^2/6 uses a 48-volt mild hybrid system to harvest energy that would normally be lost while braking and store it in a dedicated battery, which can then be used to boost acceleration or assist the petrol engine, saving up to 10 per cent on fuel in the process.⁷

1 Mustang Mach-E rear-wheel drive in extended range battery configuration delivers up to 610 km WLTP pure-electric driving range. Actual vehicle range varies with conditions such as external elements, driving behaviours, vehicle maintenance, and lithium-ion battery age and state of health.

2 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.

3 Driver-assist features are supplemental to and do not replace the driver’s attention, judgment and need to control the vehicle. It does not replace safe driving. See Owner’s Manual for details and limitations.

4 The system picks out the structural differences between the road and the road edge. Paved ditches or concrete covered drops may not be detected.

5 Ford Explorer Plug-In Hybrid fuel efficiency from 2.9 l/100 km NEDC (from 3.1 l/100 km WLTP) and CO2 emissions from 66 g/km NEDC (71 g/km WLTP), electric driving range from 48 km NEDC (42 km WLTP).

6 Fiesta EcoBoost Hybrid fuel efficiency from 4.0 l/100 km NEDC (from 5.0 l/100 km WLTP) and CO2 emissions from 92 g/km NEDC (113 g/km WLTP).

7 In city driving scenarios according to Ford data.

2020 Review of the year - Part 2

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