stop start

Stop-start battery systems continue to gain traction with automakers. The United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) has now awarded a $2.28 million stop-start development contract to Leyden Energy Inc. of Fremont, CA. USABC is a consortium group made up of Chrysler, Ford and General ...

It looks like Audi is the latest automaker to equip a car with technology that makes humans look plain ol' dumb by comparison. In this case, the German automaker is developing a so-called "coasting" hybrid, which is a variation of the stop-start feature being included in an expanding stable of ...

The start/stop feature in the current BMW 3 Series is, by default, activated every time you get in and start the car. If you don't like it, you can deactivate the feature by pressing a button on the dash; however, the next time you turn the car off and start it again (with the key), the ...

There were lots of comments on my last two columns (speaking with Ford and Chrysler execs about CAFE regulations), and some were very savvy on EVs and hybrids. But most seem to have little knowledge of what really goes into designing, developing, validating and successfully marketing a desirable, ...

After a four-plus-year hiatus, Honda will resume production of minicars (a.k.a. Kei cars, vehicles with engine displacements of 660 cc or less) for Japan. Coming first for the Honda line-up is a yet-to-be unveiled wagon-type minivehicle that's scheduled to roll off the lines this ...

Johnson Controls announced Wednesday that it's investing $100 million to construct a stop-start automotive battery factory in China. The facility will supply global and local automakers in Asia and is expected to gear up for production in early 2013. Kim Metcalf-Kupres, vice president strategy, ...

Mazda is intent on improving the fuel efficiency of its lineup of vehicles, even if it isn't going full-bore into electric vehicles. For proof, look no further than the automaker's SkyActiv technology. When it comes to the next stage in the company's efficiency plans, the award-winning i-Stop ...

Volvo is methodically adding stop-start technology to its vehicles equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission over in Europe. The stop-start tech, which initially is only available on vehicles with the 2.0-liter D3 turbodiesel engine, cuts CO2 emission by approximately ten grams per ...

According to Dominique Boesch, general manager of FAW-Volkswagen Automotive Company's Audi sales division, German automaker Audi will equip all of its Chinese-made vehicles with mild hybrid technology starting in 2012. If true, then Audi will become the only automaker to make stop-start ...

U.S. automotive supplier Johnson Controls says that, over the next two years, it will nearly triple its investment in two German facilities that manufacture batteries for vehicles equipped with stop-start technology. Alex Molinaroli, head of the Johnson Controls' automotive battery division, told ...

When the 2012 BMW 528i hits U.S. showrooms this fall, it will be packing the German automaker's latest EfficientDynamics technologies, including auto stop-start and BMW's TwinPower turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The TwinPower inline-four gets direct-injection, BMW's valvetronic ...

Johnson Controls says that the number of vehicles equipped with micro-hybrid technology (a.k.a. stop-start or idle-stop) will at least triple within five years as automakers strive to develop vehicles with improved fuel efficiency. Globally, Johnson Controls figures, stop-start tech will be ...

German-based Schaeffler Group, a leading supplier of torque converters, says that it has developed an easily integrated stop-start system for vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. According to Schaeffler, fitting a slushbox with stop-start tech is difficult because the torque converter ...

Hafei Motor aims to crush its competition by equipping its compact multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) with mild hybrid technology. That sounds good, but who's Hafei Motor? Hafei Motor Company is a subsidiary of Harbin HF Automobile Industry Group. In 2009, Hafei Motors was purchased by Chang'an ...

Worldwide sales of vehicles equipped with stop-start technology (aka micro hybrids) will soar in the coming decade, rising from three million units in 2011 to 37.3 million units annually by 2020, according to Pike Research. At that level, stop-start technology will be standard equipment in more ...

PowerGenix, a manufacturer of rechargeable nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries, has unveiled its first prototype power pack developed exclusively for the burgeoning micro-hybrid (aka stop-start or idle-stop) segment. PowerGenix claims that its NiZn batteries offer several advantages over the lead-acid ...

Stop-start technology has been available on numerous European automobiles for some time, and, according to Hybrid Cars, the fuel-saving tech is projected to be offered on up to 42 percent of vehicles in the U.S. by 2016. However, there are virtually no incentives pushing automakers to equip ...

A123 Systems is looking to cash in on the emerging stop/start hybrid market with its 12V Nanophosphate lithium-ion battery. Compared to typical lead-acid AGM batteries, A123 says that its li-ion units offer enhanced charge acceptance, which reduces the load on the vehicle's alternator and engine, ...

Aside from unveiling the production Ampera extended-range plug-in hybrid at the Geneva Motor Show, European automaker Opel highlighted two other fuel-efficient models: the Corsa 1.3 CDTI ecoFlex and the Astra 1.3 CDTI ecoFLEX, both of which are now available with the firm's ...

As has been predicted before, micro-hybrid technology (a.k.a. stop-start or idle-stop), will dominate the automotive industry within the next five years. This is according to a report from Lux Research, where senior analyst Jacob Grose is predicting that global sales of micro-hybrids will outpace ...