From Guest Blogger Jordan: Ford Makes the 2015 F-150 More Fuel Efficient With the Addition of “Air Curtain” Technology

The main reason why Ford decided to use aluminum for the body of the F-150 was to improve the pickup truck’s fuel efficiency, and it really succeeded in it, since its fuel economy was rated at 19 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and 22 mpg combined, making it the most efficient vehicle in its class. But, even though building an aluminum-bodied pickup truck was considered a somewhat revolutionary move, Ford doesn’t seem to intend on stopping there when it comes to making its best-selling vehicles as fuel-efficient as possible.

Prompted by tightening fuel economy regulations, and consumer demand for better fuel economy, Ford has decided to add a few more features to the new F-150 in order to improve its aerodynamic capabilities, resulting in reduced fuel consumption.

The automaker recently announced that the F-150 will get “air curtains”, which are aimed at reducing drag and provide smoother airflow, improving the truck’s aerodynamics.

“With the new F-150, an extensive amount of time was spent running aerodynamic simulations and doing wind tunnel tests,” said Rob Lietz, Ford technical expert in applied computational fluid dynamics. “Major advances in our computational fluid dynamics capability let us quickly see how we could improve airflow while maintaining the tough truck looks expected from F-150.”

Ford first introduced this technology on the latest Ford Mustang, and similar systems are used by other automakers to reduce drag on their sports cars. The air curtains are basically horizontal slots that are placed underneath the headlights, guiding the air from the front of the truck to the wheels via ducts, which reduces wind turbulence. The company even posted an animation on its website showing that airflow is smoother with air curtains than without them.

Ford says that the same effect could be achieved by covering the wheels with skirts, but that was not an option, since it would not look attractive at all and consumers wouldn’t like it. Also, putting skirts on the wheels of a full-size pickup truck wouldn’t be a very practical solution.

Although the air curtain technology will surely help reduce fuel consumption, Ford has come up with a few more solutions that will further improve the F-150’s fuel economy. The Dearborn-based automaker has added a flush-mounted windshield, that the company says makes molding obsolete, which prevents smooth airflow.

Furthermore, the all-new F-150 is getting a tailgate top that works as a spoiler, which reduces turbulence behind the truck, an effect that the precisely angled rear corners causing the air to break cleanly also contribute to. Finally, Ford says that the cargo box is narrower than the cab, which also helps improve airflow.

All of the above-mentioned features, when coupled with the highly-efficient 2.7-liter, V6 engine that employs Ford’s superior EcoBoost technology, make the all-new F-150 the most fuel-efficient vehicle in its segment, which will surely help it remain the best-selling vehicle in America.

Now, the question is whether Ford plans on using aluminum on some of its sports cars, just like it used Mustang’s air curtains to make its pickups more efficient.