High fuel prices, incredible vehicular traffic in urban areas the likes of Lagos, London and New-York has increased pressure on Auto Makers to seek ways to increase fuel economy of their cars.
One of the ever growing solutions is the engine start-stop system. It works by switching off the engine when ever the car comes to a full stop. First seen in Hybrid systems like the Toyota Prius, it’s becoming available in Non – hybrid cars even featuring intelligent systems as to anticipate how long the Car will be at a standstill for working with Radar and GPS to determine if the car will at a stop for more than 15s. Haven previously been proven that stopping the engine to restart in less than that time, the car will consume more fuel than if it were left to run.
Other chief concerns has-been to ensure that the start-stop effect is seamless and occupants and driver are not aware of the Shutting down and re-starting of the engine, also that the engine is able to withstand the rigors of numerous restarts and finally powering systems like the Air-conditioner while the engine is switched off( A/c systems are being powered by batteries).
Its estimated that fuel savings lie in the region of 7-10%.