Ty
Elio Addict
Here's an interesting little story (from 2010 so it's a little dated). The link ===> http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-micro-hybrids-are-coming/
And here is my condensed version... (emphasis and color added by me)
Get ready for the micro-hybrid - conventional cars that increase gas mileage three to eight percent by adding a few hybrid features.
The low-hanging fruit is in the automatic start-stop technology found on most hybrids. Start-stop, which costs only $300 to $400 for automakers to add, shuts down the engine at stoplights and then starts it up again when the driver lifts his left foot. If there's a hurdle to putting start-stop on conventional cars, it's in the ability of their relatively small 12-volt batteries to run accessories (especially air-conditioning) when the engine is shut off.
Valeo, which supplies start-stop systems to European automakers, estimates that urban cars spend as much as a third of their time on the road not moving. U.S.-style highway driving doesn't benefit all that much, one of the reasons for its slow adoption in the U.S.
"By 2015, auto analysts are predicting that start-stop will be, if not ubiquitous, at least very common," said Richard Brody, vice president of business development at PowerGenix. The San Diego-based battery company is developing compact, high-output nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries that could help enable start-stop on conventional cars. The NiZn packs are a third smaller and lighter than the nickel-metal-hydride batteries in most hybrids, Brody said.
As I reported in BNET back in January, Mazda would like to introduce i-stop in the U.S., but the company is frustrated by EPA testing procedures that gives the automaker no fuel economy credit for adding it. "We're going to begin detailed discussions with the regulatory agencies and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers aimed at getting a new test procedure for the urban environment," said Robert Davis, a Mazda vice president for research and development.
It's interesting that Europe is becoming an early adopter of micro-hybrids, because Brody points out that the technology is more challenging to incorporate into diesel engines, which are much more common in Europe. "It's harder to start and stop diesels," he said. Brody also said that carmakers can create a sort of super-micro-hybrid by adding one other power-saving technology, regenerative braking. Commonplace in today's hybrids, regenerative brakes convert the energy used to slow a car into usable energy.
And here is my condensed version... (emphasis and color added by me)
Get ready for the micro-hybrid - conventional cars that increase gas mileage three to eight percent by adding a few hybrid features.
The low-hanging fruit is in the automatic start-stop technology found on most hybrids. Start-stop, which costs only $300 to $400 for automakers to add, shuts down the engine at stoplights and then starts it up again when the driver lifts his left foot. If there's a hurdle to putting start-stop on conventional cars, it's in the ability of their relatively small 12-volt batteries to run accessories (especially air-conditioning) when the engine is shut off.
Valeo, which supplies start-stop systems to European automakers, estimates that urban cars spend as much as a third of their time on the road not moving. U.S.-style highway driving doesn't benefit all that much, one of the reasons for its slow adoption in the U.S.
"By 2015, auto analysts are predicting that start-stop will be, if not ubiquitous, at least very common," said Richard Brody, vice president of business development at PowerGenix. The San Diego-based battery company is developing compact, high-output nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries that could help enable start-stop on conventional cars. The NiZn packs are a third smaller and lighter than the nickel-metal-hydride batteries in most hybrids, Brody said.
As I reported in BNET back in January, Mazda would like to introduce i-stop in the U.S., but the company is frustrated by EPA testing procedures that gives the automaker no fuel economy credit for adding it. "We're going to begin detailed discussions with the regulatory agencies and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers aimed at getting a new test procedure for the urban environment," said Robert Davis, a Mazda vice president for research and development.
It's interesting that Europe is becoming an early adopter of micro-hybrids, because Brody points out that the technology is more challenging to incorporate into diesel engines, which are much more common in Europe. "It's harder to start and stop diesels," he said. Brody also said that carmakers can create a sort of super-micro-hybrid by adding one other power-saving technology, regenerative braking. Commonplace in today's hybrids, regenerative brakes convert the energy used to slow a car into usable energy.