Ford has just registered the Ecobeast name for a future propulsion system, although there is also talk of a range of sports models.
ford filed a trademark application for the name Ecobeast before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on June 12. The application applies to «electric motors and motors for automobiles; automotive propulsion systems; turbochargers for automobile engines.
Although electric motors are mentioned, Ecobeast is an obvious play on the Ecoboost name applied to a family of turbocharged gasoline engines. In Ford’s current lineup, the Ecoboost name applies to engines ranging from a 180-hp 1.5-liter turbo 3-cylinder used in the Escape to the F-150 Raptor’s 450-hp 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6. Additionally, the engine used in the latest Ford GT supercar was also branded “Eco.”
Is a Ford F-150 Raptor with an Ecobeast engine coming to replace the Coyote V8?
A F-150 Raptor with an Ecobeast engine seems a very appropriate combination, although the existence of the Raptor R with a V8 engine means that a pickup with an Ecobeast engine is not as powerful. However, the pun would also work with the Bronco Raptor or Mustang Ecoboost, and there’s additional room for more subvariants of those models.
As detailed on the site motorauthority that advanced this news, another possibility is an assembled engine available for different chassis. Ford announced in 2021 an electric drive called Illuminator and also demonstrated the possibilities of restoring this block with a pickup 1978 F-100 which was shown at the SEMA show that year.
Ford is also likely to remain committed to mass-production gasoline engines, leaving room for a turbocharged Ecoboost engine that could carry the Ecobeast name.
Given the closeness of the name Ecobeast to Ecoboost, It’s also possible that Ford is preemptively trademarking the name. to prevent others from using it. Sometimes automakers register designations or versions of names just to have control of the intellectual property, even if they have no plans to use it.
