Hella testing new stop-start system

Oct 22: Hella is testing a new stop/start system it says will automatically shut down an engine at speeds up to 95km/h if it is determined vehicle torque is not needed. Ward’s Auto, quoting the German-based supplier says the system has the potential to increase fuel economy by up to 10 percent, double the savings realised by traditional start/stop systems that shuts down the engine at complete stops.

News of this development was mentioned at the Society of Automotive Engineers Convergence in Detroit. The reports quotes Martin Fischer, president, Hella Electronics saying: Imagine a sloping rundown or when you approach a traffic light. You don’t really need the torque of the engine. “So (the system) disengages the gearbox, shuts off the engine and you save even more fuel that way.

In India, Bosch’s stop-start system has been incorporated in the Mahindra Scorpio while SKF is working on a stop/start system for two-wheelers. Tata Motors has incorporated a stop-start system in the small CV, the Ace. Stop-start systems are useful in India’s stop-and-go traffic and help save fuel.