Once pooh-poohed by the Detroit Three as a bogus way to improve fuel economy, the five millionth start-stop starter was built today in Hildesheim, Germany by Robert Bosch. Stop-start systems, now in production by virtually all automakers and their various suppliers, provide ~5% improvement in fuel economy depending on which testing cycle is cited, are particularly effective in commutes with gridlocked traffic. Start-stop is simply a method shutting an idling engine down and restarting it when the driver steps on the accelerator.
Volkswagen explored this concept with demonstration units decades ago. However, the effectiveness of electronic controls monitoring such variables as battery state of charge and engine temperature and heater operation, makes stop-start systems viable with no negative aspects. Stop-start is virtually undetectable to drivers, except for a slight shudder on engine reactivation. Once you drive a vehicle with start-stop you will go crazy when idling and realizing that you are getting zero miles per gallon for no reason other than to make oil companies wealthier.
“We are expecting every second new car in Europe to be fitted with a start/stop system by 2013,” says Dr. Ulrich Kirschner of Bosch.
The data seem clear: In the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), start/stop systems reduce fuel consumption, and CO2 emissions, by up to 5%. In the NEDC urban cycle, there’s an 8% fuel economy gain. In heavy urban traffic during peak hours, potential fuel economy gains are even greater.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
