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Ford files patents to protect EcoBoost

Ford Eco Boost Forum - Ford Motor Co.'s EcoBoost engines are the foundation for the company's near-term fuel economy strategy. Now Ford is moving to protect the system, filing more than 100 patents.

EcoBoost engines combine turbo-charging and direct fuel-injection to produce more power from a smaller motor. That allows Fords with the engines to get up to 20 percent better fuel economy than traditional gasoline engines generating the same horsepower.

But other automakers have been combining those two technologies for years, albeit for different reasons. First used to boost the power of high-performance motors, the Germans began selling mainstream vehicles with gasoline powered turbo direct-injection engines before Ford even unveiled its system.

"If I were them, I'd be more worried about VW coming after me than the other way around," said analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics LLP in Birmingham, adding that Volkswagen AG had similar engines on the market before Ford. "There are certain parts of this you just can't patent."

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