Auto round-up – Production begins on BMW's i3 electric car; Ford reaches EcoBoost milestone; turbos take charge; ethanol at Indy

Commercial production of the BMW i3 electric car is under way at its plant in Leipzig, Germany. The automaker has entered into “a new era of automotive construction” that includes using United States-made carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) components and wind power.
The premium electric vehicle is designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions in urban areas. It marks the first time that CFRP has been used in volume auto production. The plug-in electric’s body structure consists entirely of lightweight, strong carbon fiber, “allowing the extra weight of the batteries for the electric drive system to be cancelled out.” BMW has invested more than USD535 million at Leipzig for its “i” Series models and created 800 new jobs as a result.
Ford reached a manufacturing milestone in early September with the production of its two millionth turbocharged EcoBoost gasoline engine. Globally, Ford is building more than 100,000 EcoBoost engines each month, with an annual target of 1.2 million for 2013, up more than 60% from 2012. Customer demand for the 2.0 liter, four-cylinder; 1.5 liter four-cylinder; and 1.0 liter three-cylinder engines is growing, the company said.
Volkswagen will phase out conventional gasoline engines in three or four years in favor of more powerful, fuel-efficient turbocharged gas and diesel engines, says Mark Trahan, vice-president for group quality. Trahan told the Detroit News that the automaker plans to replace its three remaining naturally aspirated gasoline engines – a five-cylinder 2.5-liter and two six-cylinder units – with turbocharged units. VW was the second automaker in the same week to imply that naturally aspirated engines could soon be a thing of the past as turbos grow in popularity.
Mention cars that get barely three miles per gallon and are built for speed rather than cleanliness, and images of gas-guzzling, polluting, environmental menaces running leaded gas might spring to mind. But, reports research website Science Daily, ethanol blends used as fuel in race cars at the Indianapolis 500, “actually make those emissions cleaner than cars on the street.” The Indy 500 event switched to E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline from 100% ethanol this year. And even without catalytic converters, “these race cars burn fuel more cleanly [than road cars], releasing mainly carbon dioxide and water vapor into the air.”
(October 11, 2013)