World’s most powerful 12V stop-start to take on trucks 04 October 2010

A production-ready, next-generation stop-start system, said to be the most powerful 12 Volt unit yet, may set a precedent for the transport industry.

Built by Controlled Power Technologies (CPT), SpeedStart has been demonstrated on a diesel Volvo passenger car, recording an overall 7—10% reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Most importantly, though, CPT's new unit looks set to handle the classic 'driver change of mind' problem – where, on conventional stop-start systems, the engine reaches a point of no return and must shut down, so preventing a driver from changing his or her mind about stopping.

According to CPT's senior manager for micro-hybrids, Mike Dowsett, with SpeedStart, the driver can leave the vehicle in gear and, no matter how low the engine revs, an instant restart is achieved by coming off the brake pedal. In less time than it takes the driver to move his foot to the accelerator, the engine is running again, he says.

"[Drivers] need to be able to drive a vehicle as they would normally, with no change to their driving habits and with confidence of an instant re-start, whatever the traffic conditions or engine speed," explains Dowsett. "They don't need the anxiety of worrying about whether a stop-start system will work or not."

In its production-ready form, CPT's B-ISG includes intelligent torque and current control. Dowsett says it restarts an engine in less than half the time of a conventional starter motor.

He also says it has enough power and torque to handle a large number of stop-starts, and that, even under the test conditions of the New European Drive Cycle (NEDC), which includes just 12 stops, SpeedStart provides a 3—5% reduction in CO2 emissions.

The increased efficiency of its brushless switched reluctance (SR) motor generator, compared with a conventional alternator, provides a further 1% improvement, he says. And the use of regenerative charging during vehicle decelerations, combined with an optimised battery storage system, provides a further 3—5% improvement.

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Federal-Mogul Controlled Power Ltd

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