Ford pickup concept burns hydrogen

DETROIT -- The F-250 Super Chief concept provides a peek at where Ford Division wants to take its next generation of heavy-duty pickups.The brawny body looks as if it were chiseled out of granite. It has an in-your-face version of Ford's corporate three-bar grille and giant 24-inch wheels.The concept was unveiled at the Detroit auto show on Sunday.The interior is furnished with American walnut, brown leather and aluminum trim.One of the interior features likely not to see production is the vehicle's automated ottoman, or footrest.The Super Chief's most interesting feature is its powertrain. The supercharged V-10 engine has what Ford calls a tri-flex fueling system that enables the engine to run on hydrogen, E85 ethanol or gasoline. Cruising range between fill-ups is 500 miles.Ford has been tinkering with hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines since 2000. Ford believes that vehicles that use both gasoline and hydrogen can help jump-start the growth of a hydrogen fuel infrastructure. Ford already produces vehicles that run on E85 ethanol. The driver can change fuel sources by using a switch on the instrument panel.The Super Chief takes its name from cross-country luxury trains that ran on the nation's tracks from 1937 to 1971.The concept takes styling cues from the Ford Fairlane, a concept at last year's Detroit auto show. It also shows influences from the current Range Rover.You may e-mail Richard Truett at rtruett@crain.com

Ford pickup concept burns hydrogen

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