From floor to ceiling, the Super Chief is brimming with details that
would shame a Maybach, Rolls Royce and even the opulent Super Chief trains. The cabin's floor - as well as bed - are lined in strips of walnut bisected by aluminum, as are the frames of the four individual seats. Key features in the Super Chief include the panoramic 'grid' vista roof, while rear-seat passengers benefit from a flip-up ottoman and slide-out cooler integrated between the seats. The Super Chief exudes a sense of occasion, and when combined with its spacious cabin, this concept could very well be the limousine of pickup trucks.
While the Super Chief's interior and bodywork are undoubtedly cool in true concept car style, the most innovative part about this truck can be found under its hood. Unlatch the front-hinged hood and the hand-crafted, polished metal V10 engine comes into view. Yet this is no ordinary engine; it is the first vehicle to feature Ford's new Tri-Flex fuel technology. The three fuels that the Tri-Flex system features are E85, an 85 percent ethanol-enriched blend of gasoline, plus regular gasoline and hydrogen.
While Ford has long offered flex-fuel vehicles that run on E85 or gasoline, the
addition of hydrogen capability brings new levels of efficiency and performance into the realm of pickups. Though the fuels are stored in different tanks, the transition from hydrogen to gasoline/E85 is as simple as flipping a switch mounted on the dashboard, and can be done while the vehicle is in motion. From gasoline/E85 to hydrogen requires the engine speed to be at idle to ensure proper engagement of the supercharger, which operates only when the engine runs on hydrogen.
The benefits of the flexible system are numerous, particularly when it concerns fuel consumption and emissions - problems that designers of full-size pickups are struggling to overcome. Firstly, when the Super Chief operates in hydrogen mode, it provides 12 percent greater efficiency than a similarly-sized engine running on gasoline, which enables it to have a range of over 800 km (497 miles). Also, when running on hydrogen, the Super Chief emits 99 percent less carbon dioxide, making it the first environmentally friendly luxury pickup.
Despite the sudden influx of popularity with ethanol and E85 (i.e.
Saab BioPower, GM Flex-Fuel, etc.), Ford is an experienced veteran in this field. Since it started making E85 capable vehicles in 1996, Dearborn has built 1.66 million flex-fuel automobiles, and with the recent announcement of the Flex-Fuel F-150, Ford is expected to bump production to an expected 250,000 E85 capable vehicles in 2006. Ford also hopes that with the introduction of the Tri-Flex system, which integrates hydrogen into the mix, it will encourage governments across the globe to hasten in the creation of a viable hydrogen infrastructure.
Though the Super Chief Concept is wild and wacky, if not a truly inspired creation from Ford, the automaker is dead certain that it will never get the green light. It's simply too big, too luxurious, and too distinctive to adapt to the world's most popular vehicle segment. Instead, look for some of the concept's creative design aspects, such as the tri-bar grille and high metal to glass ratio, to be featured on full-size Ford pickups of the future. Even more likely to end up in production are the technological innovations featured on the F-250 concept, which show that even triple XL-sized vehicles can be demonstrations of green, environmentally-friendly mobility.
Specifications:
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| You can think of it as the Rolls Royce of pickups. No joke. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
While the Super Chief's interior and bodywork are undoubtedly cool in true concept car style, the most innovative part about this truck can be found under its hood. Unlatch the front-hinged hood and the hand-crafted, polished metal V10 engine comes into view. Yet this is no ordinary engine; it is the first vehicle to feature Ford's new Tri-Flex fuel technology. The three fuels that the Tri-Flex system features are E85, an 85 percent ethanol-enriched blend of gasoline, plus regular gasoline and hydrogen.
While Ford has long offered flex-fuel vehicles that run on E85 or gasoline, the
 |
| Supercharged V10 Tri-Flex engine, which runs on gasoline, E85 or hydrogen, makes light work of moving this beast. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
The benefits of the flexible system are numerous, particularly when it concerns fuel consumption and emissions - problems that designers of full-size pickups are struggling to overcome. Firstly, when the Super Chief operates in hydrogen mode, it provides 12 percent greater efficiency than a similarly-sized engine running on gasoline, which enables it to have a range of over 800 km (497 miles). Also, when running on hydrogen, the Super Chief emits 99 percent less carbon dioxide, making it the first environmentally friendly luxury pickup.
Despite the sudden influx of popularity with ethanol and E85 (i.e.
 |
| A shame, but it won't get built due to excessive cost. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
Though the Super Chief Concept is wild and wacky, if not a truly inspired creation from Ford, the automaker is dead certain that it will never get the green light. It's simply too big, too luxurious, and too distinctive to adapt to the world's most popular vehicle segment. Instead, look for some of the concept's creative design aspects, such as the tri-bar grille and high metal to glass ratio, to be featured on full-size Ford pickups of the future. Even more likely to end up in production are the technological innovations featured on the F-250 concept, which show that even triple XL-sized vehicles can be demonstrations of green, environmentally-friendly mobility.
Specifications:
- Body Type: 4-door pickup
- Layout (est.): front engine, RWD
- Engine: Tri-Flex (gasoline, E85, hydrogen) V10, supercharged
- Transmission (est.): 6-spd auto
- Wheels: 24-inches
- Seating Capacity: 4
- Website: www.ford.ca
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