Kia expects 15% city efficiency boost from start-stop system
Kia's compact cee'd hatchback will be getting a new automatic start-stop system starting this spring in Europe. The system which switches off the engine when the car comes to a stop and restarts it when the clutch pedal is pressed down should give about a fuel efficiency boost of about six percent overall. However, in urban stop and go driving the difference can be up to 15 percent. Such systems will be increasingly common in the next few years (see: Ford) as a low cost way of reducing idle emissions without having to go to a full hybrid system. The starter/generator is supplied by Bosch and the cee'd is built in Slovakia.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
noz 9:06PM (1/16/2009)
At last, a technology that truly works, makes sense, as is probably cheaper than any IC engine redesign could offer.
Now decouple all the electrical loads from the IC engine and get another 5-10%.
This could have and should have been done at least a decade ago,
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Dave 10:23PM (1/16/2009)
Start/stop systems arent very smooth.
A better system is GM 's BAS "mild hybrid" system which provides motive force and some regenerative braking as well as engine starting.
noz 6:06PM (1/17/2009)
I don't think that is the purpose of this system.
Dave 7:55PM (1/17/2009)
"I don't think that is the purpose of this system."
Right.......
The purpose of this system is to boost EPA mpg (ok...whatever the Euro mpg or L/100 km...) numbers and reduce the carbon tax etc. Meanwhile, the system will be so annoying that people will disable it so that it wont drive them crazy and no environmental benefit will actually be realized.
A mild hybrid OTOH, provides torque off the line at the same time that it starts the engine. So that the transition is smoother. And so that a smaller engine can potentially be used.
radler63 3:12AM (1/17/2009)
Does this mean, that the eco c'eed will be later in the showrooms thanthe stop*n go solution?
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