The Westport vehicle is based on the award-winning Ford Focus with the European Ford Endura Turbodiesel(TM) engine, one of the most popular cars in Europe partly because of its superior performance and fuel efficiency. Working closely with Ford under a cooperative development agreement, Westport engineers and technicians modified the original diesel engine to incorporate Westport's patented direct injection natural gas fuel system.
Westport has worked with Ford on this light-duty technology development program since 1999. After extensive laboratory testing, Westport outfitted two European factory-built, diesel fuel Ford Focus cars with the technology -- one for delivery to Ford and one for testing by Westport. The vehicles use Westport's common rail fuel system, including high-speed, high-pressure fuel injectors that directly introduce natural gas into the combustion chamber. Ignition is controlled by a hot surface in the engine cylinder.
The goal of the Ford-Westport program is to develop a light-duty engine with lower fuel costs and better emissions than equivalent spark-ignited natural gas engines, gasoline engines and diesel fuel engines. Westport has demonstrated that its prototype engine is more energy-efficient than published data for similar light-duty natural gas vehicles that rely on lower compression, spark-ignited engines.