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 standard in 52 to 55 percent of vehicles built in 2016, up from eight percent in 2010. The automotive supplier forecasts that nearly 25 million vehicles built in 2016 will come with an idle-stop system, up from seven million vehicles in 2011.
The predicted boom in stop-start-equipped vehicles is twofold. Firstly, shutting down the engine while idling can reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 12 percent in conventional gasoline-powered vehicles. Secondly, in the drive to improve fuel efficiency, stop-start technology has an edge in costs over some of the more advanced fuel-saving systems. It’s estimated that idle-stop costs an automaker no more than $1,500 to install, versus $5,900 for an advanced “clean” diesel engine and $6,000 for a full hybrid system.
[Source: Ward’s Auto – sub. req.]
