Friday, November 28, 2014

Smart Regenerative Charging (SRC)

Having purchased a 2014 Ford Fiesta Titanium 1.0 EcoBoost I was interested in finding out more about some of the economy features promised by Ford on their website.

I was mainly interested in the Fiesta because of its favourable reviews and that the ST model had been awarded the Top Gear Best "Hot Hatch Award".

While I did not expect the 67+ mpg that was claimed, I did expect great fuel economy.

Although the Ford brochure and other information found on the Ford (UK) website describes the potential economy advantages of the "Start-Stop" technologies and the use of SRC, that is supposed to control the alternator such that it is only in operation when your foot is not on the accelerator and will cut-in and charge during vehicle braking,  it is not made that clear.

The Ford website shows a Silver Calcium battery under the topic "A more efficient way to re-charge your battery", this battery technology is not mentioned and my Fiesta has a Enhanced Flood Battery.

On further research the "Start-Stop" technology needs a different type of battery technology to achieve the 10% increase in fuel efficiency. The EFB technology provides a "Deep Cycle" battery that overcomes the deficiencies inherent in normal lead-acid batteries.