Ford Mondeo TDCi Wagon In Detroit

[Josh Oliver]

Anyone read the article?

 

 

Ford already makes Left Hand Mondeos, so what is a Right hand Drive vehicle doing in Detroit.

(Courtesy of TheGMSource.com/Josh E. Oliver)

 

 

That was a typo that has since been edited. The vehicle was a LHD model. All apologies.

[jpd80]

OK thanks Josh, so it is a Left Hand Drive vehicle with a diesel engine,

EPA and crash testing but why this model?

Could Mercury be getting unique vehicles like the Diesel Mondeo and other FoE Econetics?

Edited February 4, 2009 by jpd80

[Josh Oliver]

OK thanks Josh, so it is a Left Hand Drive vehicle with a diesel engine,

EPA and crash testing but why this model?

Could Mercury be getting unique vehicles like the Diesel Mondeo and other FoE Econetics?

 

You know what, I screwed up. The driver is on the RIGHT side of the car *the type that we have here in the U.S.*

 

I don't know what I was thinking - but yes, the driver was on the traditional side that one would be on here in America.

Sorry - it's been a long day for various reasons.

[jpd80]

Left and Right hand Drive refers to steering wheel position,

LHD = Nth and South America, Europe and Most of Asia

RHD = Japan and most former British colonies except Canada and West Indes.

 

LINK

Countries have adopted one of two standards for traffic flows: ie. traffic flows either on the left- or right-side of the road. Countries are said to have left-hand traffic (LHT) or right-hand traffic (RHT).[6][7][8]

Vehicles are manufactured in left-hand drive (LHD) and right-hand drive (RHD) configurations, referring to the placement of the driving seat and controls within the vehicle.[9][10][11] Typically, the placement of the steering wheel is opposite to the rule of the road: LHT countries use RHD vehicles, and RHT countries use LHD vehicles.[citation needed] However, there are countries that drive on the left but use mostly LHD vehicles (for example, some Caribbean islands,[vague] and Sweden before the change from LHT to RHT in 1967), or that drive on the right but use mostly RHD vehicles.[citation needed] Furthermore, many countries permit both types of vehicles on their roads.[citation needed] Terminological confusion can arise from the misuse of "left-hand drive" or "right-hand drive" to indicate the side of the road along which vehicles are

 

Edited February 4, 2009 by jpd80

[rmc523]

The Mondeo doesn't look at that glamorous when its filthy like that

 

What car does look 'glamorous' when dirty (except maybe purpose-built offroading cars)?

 

I think it looks good, but as others have said, it doesn't really stand out.

[Sixt9coug]

Looks good from the front.

 

From the back, and im sure its the fact that its white, my first thought was that it looks like an iron.

Edited February 4, 2009 by Sixt9coug

[Mark B. Morrow]

'86-91 Taurus Wagon--best looking wagon ever.

 

Personally I prefer the any '60-'70 Country Squire or the '56 Parklane.

[Mark B. Morrow]

Volvo V70 R, M5 Wagon, AMG C63 or E63 Wagons, or how about a nice Fairmont Resto-Mod (which I hope to build one day. :huh: :lol: )

 

 

That Mondeo wagon needs a good drop in the suspension department. I'd be interested to see one in person.

 

 

That is one bad ass Fairmont. I knew a guy who was building a Fairmont wagon with a T-bird SC drivetrain. I don't know if he ever finished it.

[Edstock]

That style will not be coming here, as Ford is supposed to have a replacement "style theme" to replace the current NA and EU styles, IIRC.

[Quiet Insider]

OK thanks Josh, so it is a Left Hand Drive vehicle with a diesel engine,

EPA and crash testing but why this model?

Could Mercury be getting unique vehicles like the Diesel Mondeo and other FoE Econetics?

 

LOL, can't see the forest for the tree's.

 

Reread jpd80's post a few more times. don't look at literal translation but the essence of what is being said.

 

 

Good times ahead!

[MKII]

Rieger treatment on Mondeo wagon

 

http://rieger-tuning.de/images/PDF/Ford_Mondeo_BA7.pdf

[old_fairmont_wagon]

Having personal, first hand experience with a buildout of a Fairmont HotRod, they can be quite fun. You do have to replace the glass in the rear side windows with acrylic however. The thing twists much more than you'd expect when you throw the coals on the fire in a big way which results in structural failure of said glass. But, the engine bay is nice and big. A 351W that has the bejesus stroked out of it with monster carburation and well worked custom heads will fit nicely under the hood and lots of Mustang go fast and turn better parts are largely bolt-ons or require only minor modifications.

[silvrsvt]

What car does look 'glamorous' when dirty (except maybe purpose-built offroading cars)?

 

I think it looks good, but as others have said, it doesn't really stand out.

 

 

No I just don't get the automatic fawning over FoE products...I like the way the Monedo looks, but I also like the looks of the Fusion (the 2010 model even more so)...

[theoldwizard]

I could go take a lousy cell phone picture in the winter in Michigan of a Ferrari (through my windshield) and it would look like a crap-mobile. This is a ridiculous thread.

So what else is new ! :shrug:

[J-150]

No one likes the looks????

 

Heh! It is a station wagon. When was the last time you heard someone say they thought a station wagon looked good?

 

 

never, but when you take the same vehicle and call it a CUV or SUV, it magically becomes good looking

[NickF1011]

never, but when you take the same vehicle and call it a CUV or SUV, it magically becomes good looking

 

Well, simply changing the name won't do it, but just slightly changing the proportions of most wagons would go a long way toward improving the looks. The raised ride height on CUVs usually makes them appear less stretched out, which I think is a problem with most wagon designs.

[jpd80]

LOL, can't see the forest for the tree's.

 

Reread jpd80's post a few more times. don't look at literal translation but the essence of what is being said.

 

 

Good times ahead!

I was deliberately being cryptic.

Ford US is on an evolution journey, an evolution of product and ideology.

The once unthinkable and impossible is now real and possible.

 

edit,

Not saying FoE has a solution for the diesel NOX problem

but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they did.

Edited February 6, 2009 by jpd80

[RichardJensen]

Not saying FoE has a solution for the diesel NOX problem

but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they did.

Ford was most recently working with the EPA on implementing this system:

 

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6470682.html

 

See this post for a citation on the 12% oxygen concentration for ideal diesel combustion:

 

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2005/01/eparsquos_clean.html

[jpd80]

Hey that's some tricky work there, I se what you mean about reducing the amount of free oxygen.

I sure hope Ford gets it right and to the market first. avoiding post combustion additives is the key.

[theoldwizard]

While lower combustion temperatures does help lower NOx, they have a negative impact on particulate production resulting in more frequent particulate trap regeneration.

 

As they say, "There is no free lunch !"

Edited February 6, 2009 by theoldwizard

[jpd80]

While lower combustion temperatures does help lower NOx, they have a negative impact on particulate production resulting in more frequent particulate trap regeneration.

 

As they say, "There is no free lunch !"

Ah but there could be as i think someone last year developed a catalyst that uses lean burn diesel

to break up 95-100% of the NOX. It's apparently a modified version of previous catalytic converter

that now has an added chemical which makes the reaction go in the presence of water and lean burn.

 

 

Integrated Fuel Technologies gets worldwide license

for Argonne-developed Diesel DeNOx Catalyst

 

Technology reduces nitrogen oxide emissions by stunning 95 percent

LINK

ARGONNE, Ill. (July 1, 2008)—A new, patented catalyst developed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory to reliably and economically reduce 95 to 100 percent of the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel-fueled engines has been licensed to Integrated Fuel Technologies, Inc. (IFT), a start-up company based in Kirkland, Wash.

 

IFT plans to integrate the technology – named Diesel DeNOx Catalyst – into the firm's existing products that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, said IFT president Robert Firebaugh. The products could be sold to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

 

"OEMs have expressed an interest in IFT products enhanced with the Diesel DeNOx Catalyst," Firebaugh said. "These companies want to know if the technology can survive continuous testing."

 

"The catalyst can also be easily retrofitted for installation on existing diesel engine vehicles," said Christopher Marshall, the Argonne chemist who led the development of technology. "There is a potentially large pool of customers for this technology, given the 11 million diesel engines currently on the road."

 

Emissions of NOx are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which began implementing on Jan. 1, 2007, a more stringent regulation to reduce releases of the smog-causing pollutant by 2.6 million tons a year on a phased-in basis through 2010. Standards set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are the strictest in the United States. Argonne and IFT aim for the Diesel DeNOx technology to meet CARB standards.

 

IFT is also collaborating with Argonne under a two-year research agreement to test the technology's longevity in real-world use and to demonstrate it in real-world applications to determine if it can meet a broad array of transportation applications.

 

The Diesel DeNOx Catalyst is a coating that is applied to a ceramic brick, like a catalytic converter, which is installed in a vehicle's emissions system. The technology works in conjunction with the particulate matter (PM) trap's filter. The PM trap's filter removes soot from diesel exhaust, which is then processed by the Diesel DeNOx Catalyst to remove NOx emissions.

 

"The key to the Diesel DeNOx Catalyst technology is the reductant," Marshall said. "Interestingly, it is the diesel fuel that reduces the NOx to nitrogen, a harmless compound that composes about 72 percent of the Earth's atmosphere. The catalyst achieves such high rates of conversion because of its interactions with the hydrocarbons in the diesel fuel. The reduction in NOx emissions comes as a result of its conversion into nitrogen."

 

Moreover, the Diesel DeNOx Catalyst has increased performance in the presence of water vapors. "That characteristic makes it ideal for use in automotive and truck exhaust systems, where water is always present," Marshall said.

 

Marshall and Argonne fellow researchers have also found the Diesel DeNOx Catalyst to be economical to make and use. The technology uses inexpensive metals — copper and cerium. Using diesel fuel as the reductant eliminates the need for onboard storage of compounds like ammonia or urea that existing technologies use as reductants, he said. Compared to existing technologies, Marshall said, Diesel DeNOx reduces the amount of additional weight a vehicle has to carry, allowing for more efficient use of a vehicle's fuel.

 

"Furthermore," he said, "the ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel that will soon be required for off-road use and is now mandated for on-highway use actually extends the life of the catalyst technology, which is poisoned by the sulfur."

 

The Diesel DeNOx Catalyst is a low-cost technology given the usable lifetime of the catalyst, which is about 400,000 miles. A typical semi-tractor trailer or shipping and delivery service truck is driven about 45,000 miles in year, according to the American Trucking Association.

 

Funding to develop the Diesel DeNOx Catalyst was provided by Argonne's Laboratory-Directed Research and Development program.

 

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation's first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America 's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

 

A bit more on the catalyst:

 

Argonne's Research

LINK

Argonne's catalyst is Cu-ZSM-5 with an external coating of cerium oxide. Cu-ZSM-5 is a zeolite with copper ions attached within its micropore structure. Although Cu-ZSM-5 and similar catalysts have traditionally performed poorly for removing NOx from diesel exhaust due to insufficient heat and the presence of water vapor, Argonne researchers have developed an additive that allows Cu-ZSM-5 and similar catalysts to overcome these difficulties. When this cerium-oxide additive is combined with Cu-ZSM-5, the resulting catalyst works at normal exhaust temperatures and is actually more effective in the presence of water vapor than without it. With a lean fuel-air mixture, it removes as much as 95–100 percent of NOx emissions.

 

The Argonne catalyst has performed well in the laboratory with a number of diesel and diesel-type fuels, including standard diesel, synthetic diesel, bio-diesel, and JP8, which is a jet fuel preferred by the military. The catalyst will next undergo engine testing at Argonne's Diesel Engine Test Facility .

 

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funded the initial research on the cerium-oxide catalyst. The catalyst was further developed for chemical plant emissions under a joint research agreement with BP. Research plans call for expanded work aimed at both diesel and natural gas engines and coal-fired power plants.

 

 

 

Argonne post-doctoral associate Sundar Krishnan (left), and researchers Steve Ciatti (center) and Chris Marshall (foreground, right) working with the equipment that will be used to engine-test the Cu-ZSM-5 catalyst. Marshall is holding a beaker of the catalyst material.

Researchers in Argonne's Chemical Engineering Division have developed a zeolite-based catalyst that may help diesel truck manufacturers eliminate harmful NOx emissions from diesel exhausts. Ceramic catalytic reactors containing the Argonne catalyst placed into vehicle exhaust pipes could convert NOx emissions into nitrogen.

Edited February 7, 2009 by jpd80

[J-150]

Well, simply changing the name won't do it, but just slightly changing the proportions of most wagons would go a long way toward improving the looks. The raised ride height on CUVs usually makes them appear less stretched out, which I think is a problem with most wagon designs.

 

 

 

possibly.

 

although I think there is enough impressionable buyers out there that do buy on image before things like build quality, fuel efficiency, ride quality, etc

 

Subaru had most of their success after changing their advertising to start calling their wagons SUVs. Like that someone made it cool with the poseur crowd.

 

I have no idea how many more you could sell with the name change, but I do think that the name change would move more product.