As experts predict, in a few years the share of cars equipped with the Start-Stop system will reach about 70-80% of the total production volume. It means that sooner or later we will have to deal with this "patchwork" as well. What immediately raises a number of questions: what is the reason for the popularity of the Start-Stop system among manufacturers, what are its advantages, and what are the disadvantages, especially after several years of operation?
Why is this necessary and how it works?
Although many manufacturers are actively working in "promising" areas, experimenting with hydrogen cars, electric cars, hybrids, it is necessary to fit into all the toughening environmental requirements right now, on mass-produced models with traditional motors.
Various technical solutions are in use, including the Start-Stop system. According to the developers, it saves up to 8% of the fuel and, accordingly, contributes to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, which is exactly what engineers are fighting for.
Start-Stop's principle of operation is simple enough: as soon as a car stops completely, its engine stops - and automatically starts when the driver releases the brake pedal (on cars with automatic transmission) or squeezes the clutch pedal (on versions with automatic transmission). In city trips on a share of such stops, it is necessary not so little time so that the economy of fuel really takes place that confirms independent tests of automobile editions. But they also indicate that the real figures depend on many conditions, including traffic conditions and ambient temperature. After all, the system, at first glance, quite simple, there are many nuances.
Let's start by saying that Start-Stop will only be activated if a number of conditions are met:
- the engine is warmed up to operating temperature;
- the engine runs at idling speed;
- the battery is sufficiently charged.
Therefore, for some time after the cold start, the system will not work until the engine warms up and the battery recharges. It is not difficult to guess that in winter it will take more time than in summer. Start-Stop traffic jams can also refuse to jam the engine at some point - the constant discharges of the battery without its full charge will affect. All the more so if we take into account that the main power consumers (including the air conditioner) continue to work in the jammed state as well. Therefore, as soon as the battery charge drops below a certain value, the system will not function.
There are other "limitations". For example, if the control electronics recognize maneuvering (stopping after reversing, with wheels turned too far, etc.), the engine will not be silenced either. In addition, the driver can forcefully switch off the system himself if desired, and in some cases, this is the right solution!
During the test-drives we have already repeatedly made sure that Start-Stop can easily shut down the turbo engine, which has just been "spun" well, without analyzing the driving mode. But in our time we learned as our father that you can't stop such motors right after a good load - you have to wait for the "turbo-pause". It is clear that modern turbochargers have become more durable - but why test them?
There are also a couple more, but. Anyway, the engine does not start at once, it takes a few tenths of a second. And the start, as usual, is accompanied by a characteristic vibration. The lower the class of the car, the more it is felt. You should agree that it is not pleasant to drive a car that "flinches" at every traffic light!
Forgotten old
Do you think the Start-Stop system appeared a couple of years ago? Oh, no, it's not! Super-efficient versions of Audi A2 3L and VW Lupo 3L, which were released in the early 2000s, already knew how to "deafen" before the traffic lights. But this couple was preceded by Volkswagen Golf Ecomatic, who saw the light exactly 20 years ago.
But these exceptions only confirm the rule: in those years, an unusual "chip" that allows you to slightly reduce fuel consumption, had only separate, particularly economical models, which boasted and other innovative solutions, and on the general background looked like a kind of white crows. But the mass introduction of the Start-Stop was out of the question at the time... to be continued in the next part https://zen.yandex.ru/media/id/5d8ce9350ce57b00ade9d0c2/startstop-system-part-2-5d94d547fc69ab00aeaa0724