Future models from PSA Peugeot-Citroen will soon benefit from the second generation of Valeo’s stop-start system.
The system will be launched in the third quarter of 2010 and will be featured alongside the HDi diesel engines of Peugeot and Citroen in around a million vehicles by 2013.
The first generation of the stop-start system has been in production since 2004 and has featured in models including Smart cars and the Mercedes Benz A- and B-Class vehicles. Now this new generation micro-hybrid system sees the power and control electronics integrated into the electrical machine, reducing the size of the packaging.
The micro-hybrid system cuts off the vehicle’s engine at a red light or in a traffic jam and restarts it when engine power is solicited. To optimise fuel savings further, it can cut off the engine even before the vehicle comes to a complete stop – as soon as it falls below 5mph with an automated transmission and 12mph with a manual transmission. This helps to reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 15 per cent in congested urban traffic.
Engine restarts are immediate and there are no vibrations or noises; and because the engine cut-off phases are longer and more frequent, the fuel savings are greater than those available with other systems.
