Bosch's automotive start/stop systems gaining ground

We first spoke of automotive start/stop systems here and now these systems seems to be getting more popular. In addition to BMW and MINI, three other manufacturers also plan to introduce Bosch’s start/stop technology on their cars within the next few months. These systems are supposed to offer a significant reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in urban and stop-and-go traffic, so this is one technology which we should all be watching out for.

Start/stop systems switch off the engine if the vehicle is stationary – for example in traffic jams or at red traffic lights. Depending on the vehicle, start/stop systems save up to five percent fuel and produce correspondingly less CO2. Bosch has considerably increased the specified number of engine starts of the start/stop starter and, as a consequence, increased its service life compared with a conventional starter.

The new, more powerful electric starter motor in Bosch’s systems features enhanced engagement components guarantee safe, fast, and quiet operation and increased engine starts. In addition to this extended functional range, the starter is compact and remains very easy to integrate in the vehicle. Unlike other technologies, this approach is also suitable for cold starts in diesel engines.

The system as a whole includes control software which can be integrated in the respective engine control unit, a crankshaft sensor with evaluation electronics, and a battery sensor. The battery sensor calculates the current battery charge level and relays this information to the system’s energy management. For reliable start/stop operation, Bosch also supplies alternators with a higher level of efficiency ensuring that the battery always has sufficient energy stored for start/stop operations.

The start/stop systems from Bosch draw on the expertise of the company’s starter technology, drivetrain, and energy management fields. Till date, Bosch has sold more than 300 million conventional starters worldwide and as the system approach is based largely on existing components, an excellent cost-benefit ratio is a further argument in this Bosch technology’s favour.