Ford has introduced its new generation Focus Flexi-Fuel, plus a Flexi-Fuel version of the Ford Focus C-MAX in Sweden this week. Since the introduction of bio-ethanol powered vehicles in a European market in 2001, Ford has sold over 15,000 Focus Flexi-Fuels in Sweden. In 2003 and 2004, more than 80 per cent of environmentally friendly cars sold in Sweden were Focus Flexi-Fuels.

The all-new Focus and Focus C-MAX Flexi-Fuel models being introduced are capable of running on both bio-ethanol (E85) and petrol or any mix of both in one fuel tank, making them flexible, both in terms of their technology and customer operation.

As bio-ethanol is a renewable fuel derived from plants (such as cereals, sugar beet etc.) or biomass (such as wood waste), the primary environmental benefit is the reduction of CO 2 emissions – the main greenhouse gas thought to be responsible for global warming .

When using this biomass or plant based material to derive bio-ethanol fuel, the CO 2 circle can, to large degree, be "closed-loop". The photosynthesis process of plants sees carbon dioxide absorbed by the plants, etc during their growth only to be released as the bio-ethanol is used as fuel. Thus, from a holistic "well-to-wheel" perspective, the use of bio-ethanol can lead to a 70 per cent reduction in overall CO 2 emissions compared to a traditional petrol only engine.

The technology to achieve the low CO 2 levels is not significantly different from the conventional petrol Focus model. Basically, three alterations were made to the conventional model.

First, the valves and valve seats of the 1.8-litre 16-valve gasoline engine are made of especially hardened material.

Second, there is a variable ignition map that adapts to the respective ratio of bio-ethanol and petrol present in the fuel tank. This is done automatically without the driver having to make any adjustments.

Finally, because bio-ethanol fuel has less positive cold starting characteristics than petrol, the cylinder block has particularly effective pre-heating once the temperature decreases below minus15 degrees Celsius.

In addition to providing CO2 benefits the Focus Flexi-Fuel has air quality impacts with lower levels of emissions such as NOx than many conventional petrol vehicles.