Below is Ford's responses to our questions on their green initiatives and credentials.
What vehicles do you currently have in production which have a positive impact on helping the environment?
For many years Ford has been committed to investing in technologies to help support lower energy use in both the production and the running of our vehicles.
In Europe, through our range of alternative fuel vehicle technologies and low-CO2 conventional vehicle technologies such as our high-tech clean diesel engines with among-best-in-class CO2 performance, Ford is offering one of the broadest low-CO2 vehicle portfolios in Europe today. Our short-term objective is to deliver the maximum reduction in CO2 to as many of our customers as possible using affordable technologies available now.
We are improving fuel economy and CO2 output from our vehicles through incremental improvements in internal-combustion technology (such as clean diesel engines) new transmission technologies, new lubricants, improved aerodynamics and vehicle weight reduction.
For instance, we now offer standard derivative 1.6TDCi engines for Fiesta, Fusion and New Focus which emit less than 120 grams of CO2 per kilometre and with the launch of the All New Fiesta in October 2008 our standard 1.4 and 1.6 TDCi diesel engines produce only 110g CO2/km.
But we've improved on this even further. In September 2007 Ford of Europe announced a new range of Ford ECOnetic models which are being progressively launched across our model range. These vehicles offer customers ultra-low CO2 alternatives using the latest common-rail diesel powertrains with features engineered to reduce CO2 emissions, such as an aerodynamics kit, low roll-resistant tyres and low-viscosity transmission oil developed by Ford's fuel partner BP. The first to be launched in Quarter 1, 2008 was the Ford Focus ECOnetic which delivers best-in-class CO2 emissions for conventional powertrain technology at just 114g/km. It's highly efficient 109PS, 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi engine with standard Diesel Particulate Filter also delivers an average combined fuel consumption of 65.7mpg. Mondeo ECOnetic was launched Quarter 2, 2008 with 139g/km CO2 emissions and in Quarter 1, 2009 the All New Fiesta Econetic will be launched with just 98g/km CO2 emissions.
External Recognition But don't just take our word for it. The Ford Focus Econetic five-door five-speed 1.6 TDCi 109PS (DPF) has been voted WhatGreenCar? Car of the Year 2008. http://www.whatgreencar.com/green-car-of-the-year-2008.php It was named as Britain's greenest car, ahead of hybrid and electric models in what has been described as "the most thorough environmental analysis of 2008's new cars in the UK."The judges were: · Jessica Aldred, Deputy Editor, guardian.co.uk/environment · Andrew Davis, Director, Environmental Transport Association · Johnny Goldstone, Co-founder, Greentomatocars · Nigel Underdown, Head of Advice for Transport, Energy Saving Trust · Neil Wallis, Head of Communications, Low carbon Vehicle Partnership · Dr Ben Lane, Managing Editor, WhatGreenCar.com
In addition, Ford is the market leader and pioneer of Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV's) in Europe which can be fuelled with bio-ethanol. Since launch in 2000 we have sold 45,000 FFV vehicles – 17,500 of these sold in 2007 - and they are now offered in 17 European countries.
We were also the first manufacturer to market a bioethanol-powered car in Britain and in 2007 Ford was granted the ‘European Biomass Industry Association’s’ 2007 EUBIA award as recognition of Ford’s European leadership in bio-ethanol powered FFV’s.
All of Ford’s Flexifuel vehicles can be fuelled with bio-ethanol E85 (a blend of 85 per cent bio-ethanol and 15 per cent petrol) or petrol, or any mixture of both fuels in one tank, as an alternative to conventional petrol technology only.
The combined use of bio-ethanol as a fuel and Ford’s Flexifuel technology can reduce total life cycle (’well-to-wheel’) CO2 emissions by up to 80 per cent vs. conventional petrol technology, depending on feedstock used and production process (source: EUCAR Concawe study) without compromising performance and driving quality. http://www.concawe.be/Content/Default.asp?PageID=23 Our FFV offer has been extended and is now offered on Focus, C-Max, S-MAX, Galaxy and New Mondeo, giving Ford one of the broadest ranges of Flexifuel vehicles in Europe. FFV derivatives are priced at the same level as their petrol-equivalent.
Ford believes bio-fuels represent an opportunity to make mobility more sustainable and welcomes European Union and individual EU government initiatives to create a certification for sustainable production of bio-fuels.
In the longer term we believe that next-generation biofuels made from a variety of feedstocks, including agricultural waste (particularly lingo-cellulosic material), will be an important part of the emission reduction equation and will help address concerns about current-generation biofuels, including potential competition between food and fuel crops.
What are your future plans, if any, for alternative fuel vehicles, how soon they will be available and in what form, ie biofuel, battery, etc? Please provide general information as to your future strategy.
Our vision for the 21st century is to provide sustainable transportation that is affordable in every sense of the word: socially, environmentally and economically.
This vision has driven the development of our product CO2 strategy in 2008, which targets a 30 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from our new vehicles in both the US and European Union by 2020, relative to the 2006 model year baseline.
As detailed in the answer to question 1 our strategy is based on technological solutions being affordable, geared towards volume implementation and rapidly adopted by consumers. To achieve this goal new technology has to be attractive to all, without premium pricing and without compromising driving performance. We believe that our strategy is the correct one for today's market, by ensuring that even our standard derivatives deliver low CO2. For example, our standard Focus 1.6TDCi engine produces 118g/km (90PS) and 119g/km (109PS).
Focusing our efforts on affordable technology which everyone can benefit from without paying a price premium is, we believe, the way forward to reduce overall CO2 emissions in today's market. This is why Ford is focusing on evolutionary improvements in transmissions, aerodynamics, weight reduction, energy storage and lubrication to reduce CO2 output and improve fuel economy. For example, a key contributor to improving CO2 output and fuel economy is to reduce overall vehicle weight. The All New Fiesta is stronger, safer, more stylish and more comfortable than its predecessor but is approximately 40 kilograms lighter than the car it replaces despite having added new standard safety features such as Electronic Safety Programme (ESP) and driver's knee air-bag. In fact, an extra 13kg of on-board equipment was added – 5kg for comfort and safety features, 5kg for additional sound-proofing and another 3kg for emissions-reducing equipment, versus the vehicle it replaced.
Further we have introduced dual clutch automatic transmission technology which delivers a virtually step-less gear-change operation and improves average fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 10% compared to a conventional 6 speed automatic transmission.
In addition, we are working with BP to explore the respective roles of vehicles and fuels in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and to evaluate how advanced lubricants can contribute to fuel economy gains.
Also Ford is the market leader and pioneer of Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFV's) in Europe and our FFV offer has been extended to include Focus, C-Max, S-MAX, Galaxy and New Mondeo, giving Ford one of the broadest ranges of Flexifuel vehicles in Europe. Ford continues to invest and research heavily in a wide range of environmentally advanced and affordable technology solutions. Our Sustainability Mobility Group is coordinating the development of next-generation, advanced technologies to achieve breakthrough advances in fuel efficiency, emissions reduction and energy independence. Our portfolio embraces: • Further advances in conventional powertrains, including new generations of petrol and clean-diesel engines based around advanced fuel-saving direct injection technologies • Alternative Fuel powered Vehicles (AFVs), including bio-ethanol powered Flexifuel technology FFV's (where Ford is a European market leader), plus CNG/LPG (Compressed Natural Gas / Liquified Petroleum Gas) models for those countries with supporting fuel infrastructure • Hybrid applications, including research into plug-in hybrid technology • Hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines, as a potential bridging technology to highly energy efficient hydrogen-powered fuel cell technology in the longer term • Further advances in areas such as new generation fuel-saving transmissions and weight-stabilization and reduction.
The same improvements we have seen in diesel technology are now inspiring a similar revolution in petrol technology and Ford is currently developing a range of affordable advanced turbo-charged petrol engines with direct high-pressure injection. This will allow smaller capacity engines to deliver excellent power output, torque and acceleration but with significantly lower CO2 output and improved fuel economy compared to a conventional petrol engine.
Hybrid technology In the U.S. Ford is a leader in full hybrid petrol technology. Indeed Ford launched the world's first SUV hybrid in 2004, the Ford Escape, which won the North American Truck of the Year award in 2005. We have also launched the Mercury Mariner hybrid in North America, and will introduce two more full-hybrid products in the US.
However, full petrol hybrids are not suited to all driving conditions. In Europe we face a different market situation and fuel infrastructure. Compared to North-American customers European vehicle drivers already have more CO2-efficient vehicles through clean-diesel technology, so that the benefits of hybrid technology are not the same as they are for the U.S. which is dominated by petrol-engine vehicles.
In June 2006, Ford Motor Company announced the establishment of a new hybrid development centre in Gothenburg (Volvo), Sweden. Building upon on the work of the new centre, plus the basic research work conducted at the company's European Research Center in Aachen, Ford will be applying appropriate hybrid technologies to its product portfolio, with the aim of ensuring that the technology is affordable.
Ford of Europe is working on component parts of hybrid technologies including stop-start systems and regenerative breaking to provide cost-effective ways of better combating CO2. A good example of this is a diesel micro-hybrid which seems well-suited to the European driving environment and builds on the widespread acceptance of diesel technology, offering the best combination of performance, fuel economy and affordability.
Hydrogen Powered Vehicle Technologies Ford is a leader in the design and development of hydrogen fuelled fuel cell technology. We are also researching and testing the use of hydrogen in internal combustion engines.
As at the beginning of 2008 we have 40 fuel cell vehicles and 30 hydrogen internal-combustion engine vehicles on the road worldwide undergoing testing as part of multi-stakeholder projects (e.g. California Fuel Cell Partnership; Clean Energy Partnership Berlin), to evaluate the everyday practicality of hydrogen, the technical and economic prerequisites necessary to implement the use of this fuel on the roads, and to help to drive down vehicle technology cost. Besides the fuel infrastructure, sustainable production of hydrogen remains one of the biggest challenges, and to offer hydrogen powered vehicles to customers at affordable prices.
In 2008 our research centre in Aachen took delivery of the world's first and only driveable fuel cell hybrid electric plug-in that combines an on-board hydrogen fuel cell generator with lithium-ion batteries. The US built Ford Edge with HySeries Drive, powered by a 336 volt lithium-ion battery driving electric motors will be used in a series of test programmes. The vehicle drives the first 25 miles each day on stored electricity alone, after which the hydrogen fuel cell begins operating to keep the battery pack charged. There are zero emissions from the battery and only water is produced when the fuel cell is operating.
We believe that the hydrogen economy is a much longer proposition, and we are ensuring we have the technologies available for if and when hydrogen technology becomes feasible to implement.
Please provide information regarding your company's progress in reducing CO2 in the vehicle manufacturing and distribution processes.
Environmental Management System ISO 14001 In December 1998, Ford became the first automotive company to certify all its manufacturing plants worldwide under ISO 14001. ISO 14001 is a voluntary international environmental management system standard, providing a framework for understanding and managing the environmental aspects of a facility. To achieve ISO 14001 certification, a facility must develop and document a method for identifying, controlling, monitoring, and reviewing the ways in which it potentially or actually interacts with the environment. Typical environmental aspects focus on energy use, water conservation and treatment, recycling, and the reduction of waste, noise and air pollution. Independent auditors regularly evaluate all relevant processes and systems performance.
All production suppliers receiving Ford business are ISO 14001 certified.
Additionally, Ford has asked its preferred "Q1" suppliers to obtain certification to further promote sound environmental management throughout the company's value chain.
Ford provides supplier recognition awards to highlight best practice on sustainability among trading partners.
EOS – Environmental Operating System Ford of Europe is rolling out an innovative environmental operating system (EOS). As a counterpart to our Quality Operating System (QOS), the EOS provides a standardized, streamlined approach to help ensure environmental compliance and to record environmental performance of a plant. It integrates ISO 14001 and forms the basis not only for monitoring compliance with all external and Ford internal standards, but also for further environmental improvement.
'Sustainability' Reports Ford was the first automotive company to publish annual ‘Sustainability’ reports, setting out the Company’s global vision and efforts towards respecting and preserving the environment. Further information is available at the following website: www.ford.com/about-ford/company-information
Product Sustainability Index Ford was the first automotive company to introduce a Product Sustainability Index (PSI) – first utilised in Europe for S-MAX/Galaxy and more recently New Mondeo and New Fiesta. This leads the automotive industry in holistically addressing the environmental impact of Ford vehicles from the earliest stages of development through to end-of-life recovery. Engineering managers measure progress towards specific objectives as an integral part of the product development process. These include: • Life-cycle global warming potential (mainly carbon dioxide emissions) • Life cycle air quality potential (other air emissions); • Use of sustainable materials (recycled and renewable materials) • Use of sustainable Vehicle interior air quality (including TÜV allergy certification) • Exterior noise impact (drive-by noise) • Safety (for occupants and pedestrians) • Mobility capability (seat and luggage capacity relative to vehicle size) • Life cycle ownership costs (full costs for the customer over the first three years).
As a result of using the PSI assessment system, both the 2006 S-MAX and Galaxy show improved environmental, social and economic performance when compared to the previous models. For instance, more recycled and renewable materials have been used, life-cycle air emissions have been significantly reduced, life-cycle cost of ownership has been reduced and safety performance has been improved. Similarly, by using the PSI tool, the 2007 Ford Mondeo showed significant improvements over the previous model in life-cycle global warming impacts, life-cycle air-quality impacts, use of restricted substances, use of sustainable materials and safety.
In an independent, external study, Ford's PSI has been evaluated as a positive step which aims to provide a full sustainability assessment and as being compliant with ISO 14040, the international Life Cycle Assessment standard. All future Ford of Europe vehicles will be developed with the PSI process.
Energy There is a workforce at each manufacturing plant supported by a central staffs group dedicated to the task of reducing the use of energy and resources and identifying working practice and policy improvements.
Between 2000 and 2007 Ford improved global operational energy use by 30% and has targeted a further 3% improvement each year. During the same period CO2 emissions from our facilities has reduced by 39%.
Ford's Dagenham Diesel Centre in the UK was the first automotive plant in the world to obtain all of its electrical power needs from on-site wind turbines.
Ford's Bridgend engine plant (Wales) was the first site retrofitted with one of the largest integrated, grid-connected solar/photovoltaic installations at a car manufacturing plant in Europe.
As of 2008, Ford is sourcing renewable electricity to cover the full electric power demand of its manufacturing and engineering facilities at its Cologne plant in Germany. This includes the electricity needed for the assembly of its Fiesta and Fusion models at the plant. Through this initiative, the company will reduce its CO2 emissions by 190,000 tonnes per year.
Renewable or "green" power supplies more than 3% of Ford's energy needs worldwide. In 2000, Ford launched a water-reduction initiative and set a target of 3 percent year-over-year reduction in water use. From 2000 to 2007, Ford's global manufacturing operations reduced water consumption by 43 percent or approximately 7.4 billion gallons. We reduced our global water use by approximately 21 percent from 2006 to 2007 alone.
2004
2005
2006
2007
Worldwide facility energy consumption, trillion BTU's
80.3
76.3
71.8
63.3
Worldwide facility energy consumption per vehicle, million BTU's
12.7
12.1
11.8
10.7
Worldwide facility CO2 emissions, million metric tonnes
8.4
8.0
6.8
5.8
Worldwide facility CO2 emissions, per vehicle, metric tonnes
1.33
1.26
1.13
0.97
2008 targets: 3% improvement in global facility energy efficiency 3% reduction in global water use 5% reduction in landfill use
Waste / Recycling Ford has taken an industry lead on waste management by having introduced a Total Waste Management (TWM) program in 1995, looking at all opportunities to avoid, reduce, reuse, recycle or recover waste – the hierarchy of Ford's waste management. The TWM program covers all Ford plants. Example: Reusable packaging - Ford facilities currently use 90% returnable containers and are seeking to increase that amount further.
Recycling and use of renewable materials Ford has a particular focus on using recycled and renewable materials wherever they are appropriate to improve the overall environmental performance of a vehicle.
Introduced in 1993, Ford was the first automotive company to issue worldwide vehicle design-for-recycling guidelines to its suppliers and engineers, for easier pre-treatment and to specify how recyclable and renewable materials can be used in vehicle and component design.
In Ford of Europe almost 300 vehicle parts are made with recycled non-metallic materials. Ford uses re-cycled old bumpers, batteries, tyres, carpets, bottle-tops, plastic bottles, computer housings and clothing in a wide variety of its vehicles. This helps divert over 17,000 tons of waste from landfill sites per annum.
Today, Ford vehicles in Europe are (by weight) 85% recyclable% and 95% recoverable (recoverability refers to use of energy content through thermal treatment). In the EU, automakers are required by EU Directive 2000/53/EC to take back vehicles (that they put on the market) at the end of their lives, ensuring that they are treated in an environmentally responsible manner. Since 2002, Ford has been at the forefront of providing return networks in the EU member states that have established regulations. Ford now has End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) take-back and recycling networks for Ford brand vehicles in 18 EU markets and participates in collective ELV recycling systems in another 10. For example, Ford was the first major manufacturer in the UK to put in place a comprehensive plan that met the European Commission's ELV directive. By working with Cartakeback.com, Ltd., we now have a network of more than 150 facilities providing unrivalled convenience to the last owner for the professional take back, receipt and treatment of end-of-life vehicles. That network successfully achieved an 85 percent recycling and recovery achievement for all vehicles processed during 2007. In May 2007, Ford became one of the first European automakers to be certified in compliance with ELV requirements by demonstrating to external authorities that the Ford processes properly manage the reusability, recyclability and recoverability aspects of vehicles.
We are also working on technologies that will facilitate the recycling of shredder residue materials. For example, working with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) through USCAR's Vehicle Recycling Partnership, we have developed a technology platform for recovering end-of-life vehicle materials from shredder residue. The current ANL pilot process, which has been proven out at one-tenth of full size, is now being scaled up. An automotive shredder partner has offered to install a full-scale "technology validation" plant for recovering materials from shredder residue. The shredder's offer is a unique opportunity to further prove out the technology, moving it closer toward commercialization.
Transport of Vehicles Altogether, Ford production facilities in Europe now ship approximately two-thirds of their vehicles by water or rail and similarly, some two-thirds of the kilometers a new Ford vehicle travels between the assembly plant and customer are accounted for by water or by rail.
This leads to savings of hundreds of truck runs each day, reducing total truck journeys by millions of km per year. Apart from the considerable relief of traffic on public roads, fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and CO2 emissions are reduced considerably.
External Recognition In 2007 Ford was voted ‘Most responsible Corporate citizen among automotive firms in Britain’, according to ‘Business in the Community’, which represents 700 companies that are working to improve the way that business affects society. Ford came top of its sector in BitC’s 2007 ‘Companies that Count’ survey and scored 100% in the Environment section of the audit.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized our energy conservation efforts three years in a row (a first for an automaker), most recently with the 2008 Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award.
We continue to improve the environmental performance of our facilities. In 2007 we implemented a new global facilities environmental scorecard and emissions management database to better track and improve our facilities' environmental impacts. Our global environmental goals address the range of our environmental impacts, including energy use, emissions, water use and waste generation, and include a detailed scorecard for every facility so that we can track and accelerate improvements (see table below). Our Global Emissions Manager database provides a globally consistent approach for measuring and monitoring environmental data, which helps us track and improve our efforts to reduce water consumption, energy usage, carbon dioxide emissions and the amount of waste sent to landfills.
What is your corporate strategy for helping users of your vehicles reduce their CO2? For example, do you provide vehicle purchasers with information on the tax benefits of your cleanest vehicles etc.
Our primary strategy is to develop and introduce technological improvements which deliver improved fuel performance and lower CO2 which are affordable and available to all our customers, without compromise on either performance or price.
We widely communicate fuel economy performance and CO2 car emissions by derivative within all our promotional materials, whether these are vehicle brochures in our dealer showrooms or our Ford websites. Through a variety of formats we also provide our fleet customers with information concerning Company and personal tax implications for each derivative, including Vehicle Excise Duty banding, P11D Benefit In Kind personal taxation and Company National Insurance.
Ford provides CO2/Fuel economy data on CVs for N1 (up to 3.5t) vehicles, as per the legal requirement from January 2008, for tender requirements or other requests. As with most manufacturers, Ford publishes M1 CV data for minibuses, but are not required to publish CO2/fuel economy data for N1 vehicles. Discussions with manufacturers and the SMMT have voiced concerns that CVs have the same NEDC test cycle as cars, but unlike cars, complex factors such as the vehicle usage, payload, size, aerodynamics and bodystyle have a significant impact on real world fuel consumption. This could result in misleading comparisons from the data.
Ford and the other Manufacturers are working with the SMMT and Department for Transport on van buying guidance, including CO2, to stay ahead of the legislative requirements.
What information are you able to provide to help customers understand how they can operate your products efficiently?
About 80% of the energy a car consumes during its life cycle results from driving – i.e. the 'actual use' phase.
Our ECOnetic models feature a shift indicator light which signals to the driver when it is the optimal time to change gear for better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions. From October 2008 build, a shift indicator light will be a standard feature on all Transit variants.
Within our Ford UK website we also have information relating to how our customers can reduce their carbon CO2 footprint and tips on adapting driving style to drive in a more eco-friendly way: http://www.ford.co.uk/ie/co2/-/smart_drive_4col/-/-/-/-
Ford of Britain also launched the "Ford Focus ECOnetic Smart Driving Challenge" during the summer of 2008. The strong customer response to the eco driving competition, launched in partnership with the Energy Saving Trust, led to the challenge being extended to run at six locations through July and August including the British International Motor Show in London during the period 23rd July to 3rd August.
In response to fleet operators seeking advice on reducing their carbon footprint on commercial vehicles we have also made available an inexpensive speed-limiter at a cost of £40 for our Transit commercial vehicles.
We have produced a performance chart illustrating the effect of driving a cross-section of Transit models at governed speeds of 60 and 65mph. The road speed limiter (RSL) enables substantial savings to be made in both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
For example, on a Transit 280M 2.2 110PS medium-roof van, driving 10mph below the motorway limit can save more than 18% on fuel consumption and deliver a similar percentage cut in CO2 emissions. By limiting speeds to 65mph, a saving of almost 10% is possible on the same model, again with a corresponding 10% reduction in unwanted emissions.
Even with our largest Transit Jumbo, a saving of almost 13% is achievable by governing top speed at 60mph. The factory-fitted Ford Transit road speed limiter is an option on all diesel models.
Ford Transit Fuel Economy vs
Speed MPG Fuel Saving %
Model
65 over 70
60 over 65
60 over 70
280M
2.2 110PS
medium roof
9.18
9.76
18.05
300M
2.2 110PS
low roof
7.04
9.7
16.67
350L
2.2 110PS
medium roof
7.72
8.87
15.29
350 EL JUMBO SRW
2.4 115PS
high roof
6.44
6.71
12.72
Ford Transit CO2 vs Speed % reduction in CO2 (g/km)
Model
65 over 70
65 over 60
70 over 60
280M
2.2 110PS
medium roof
8.86
10.12
18.08
300M
2.2 110PS
low roof
7.7
9.52
16.48
350L
2.2 110PS
medium roof
7.01
8.73
15.13
350 EL JUMBO SRW
2.4 115PS
high roof
6.58
6.7
12.83
What plans do you have in place to support operational and ownership costs of vehicles with new vehicle technology or reduced CO2 emissions (RV and SMR)?
We are always looking at ways in which we can support higher Residual Values and lower Whole Life Costs for all our customers. Through our range of low-CO2 conventional vehicle technologies engines with among-best-in-class CO2 performance and our alternative fuel vehicle technologies Ford is offering one of the broadest low-CO2 vehicle portfolios in Europe today.
Our low CO2 portfolio allows Fleet customers to benefit from lower car taxation in terms of personal tax, Company national insurance and vehicle excise duty. Low CO2 engines also bring the benefits of lower fuel consumption. Our New Focus 1.6 TDCi engines deliver a combined average 62.7 miles per gallon (mpg), whilst our Ford Focus Econetic 1.6 TDCi derivative delivers 65.6mpg. Our Mondeo Econetic 1.8TDCi delivers a combined average of 53.3mpg whilst the New Fiesta delivers 76.3mpg.
Also, in an effort to lower Fleet operational cost we are unique in being the only manufacturer to offer a misfuel inhibitor which prevents a customer from being able to put the wrong type of fuel in our vehicles. This offers peace of mind to fleet managers and drivers and is a standard feature now available on Focus, Mondeo, Kuga and is also standard on New Fiesta launched in October 2008.
Further, we are introducing new low-cost technologies to our products to help Fleet customers reduce their total cost of ownership. For instance the Focus Tyre Deflation Detection option is priced at just £50 but can allow operators to improve fuel consumption and reduce tyre wear and tear by ensuring drivers are alerted to incorrectly inflated tyres.
As mentioned above, our ECOnetic models also feature a shift indicator light which signals to the driver when it is the optimal time to change gear for better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions. From October 2008 build a shift indicator light will be a standard feature on all Transit variants.
Is there any other information you would like to provide to the users of your vehicles in relation to your green credentials and policies?
Wildlife / Bio-Diversity Like any large landowner and user of natural resources, we have a substantial impact on biodiversity through land development activities. Ford has collaborated with the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), an NGO, to develop and implement plans that restore and enhance wildlife habitat at Ford properties. More than 30 programs are active at Ford facilities worldwide to improve the preservation of the local fauna and flora. In Valencia/Spain and in Kocaeli/Turkey, large onsite natural reserves have been created. At other Ford plants in Europe, processes have been launched or are currently being checked for further ecological measures to enhance the local climate and biodiversity preservation.
Allergy Label – Industry First Ford vehicles (five models so far: Ka, Focus incl. Focus Coupé-Cabriolet, S-MAX, Galaxy and most recently the new Mondeo) are the first vehicles worldwide that have been rewarded an “allergy-tested interior” certification. Respective certificates have been given by the German TÜV Rheinland organization, the independent industry body controlling and approving quality standards of industrial and consumer products. The award recognizes that the vehicles' interiors consist exclusively of materials that reduce the risk to allergy sufferers to the lowest possible level. Ford aims to get as many as possible existing and future cars certified according to the TÜV criteria. With this initiative, Ford offers its customers products that address the growing societal concern about allergies.
Community Involvement We are aware that - operating in various facilities across Europe - our business touches many communities around the continent. Therefore, our employees, retirees, suppliers and dealers work with local leaders to identify community projects that could benefit from philanthropic and/or volunteer support. For instance, Ford employees are not only allowed but encouraged to spend two working days per annum for joint social, ecological and educational programs in the communities around their plants.
The following websites contain much greater detail on all aspects of Ford's green credentials and policies:
Ford UK Environment: http://www.ford.co.uk Note: please be patient for the full page to load before clicking on Company to get a drop down menu where you should select Corporate Information then Environment
