Next-Gen Stop-Start System Released

Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) today announced what is called the second-generation stop-start system, a new technology specifically aimed at cutting emissions and fuel consumption when the car is not in motion. The new system will be demonstrated in Germany, with the parent company claiming it is more powerful and more efficient than the existing solutions.

Codenamed SpeedStart, the system is already in production-ready form and is the first of its kind to comprise all power and control electronics into a single electric motor assembly, according to a report by just-auto.com. It could easily meet most manufacturers' requirements for a service lifetime of 10 years of 250,000 km.

CPT claims the newly-designed system is compatible with gasoline engines up to 3.0-liter and diesel units up to 2.5-liter. In order to prove its abilities, the parent company will fit the technology on a Volvo S40 powered by a 2.0-liter common rail diesel unit. Last but not least, SpeedStart would also reduce the overall time needed for restarting the engine, from an average of 0.75 seconds to 0.4 seconds.

"CPT's technical breakthrough has resulted in a state-of-the-art 12-volt system with the torque and power necessary to restart quickly, smoothly and more frequently, most modern diesel and petrol engines," says CPT senior manager Mike Dowsett. "Unlike existing systems SpeedStart allows the vehicle to remain in gear when the engine is stopped, which is more natural for the driver and facilitates a faster restart."

"We've also successfully addressed one of the major criticisms of first-generation stop-start systems - which cause many motorists to disengage them - and that is their intrusiveness and whether they are powerful and fast enough to cope with a driver having a sudden change of mind, which is not uncommon and what often causes a motorist to lose confidence in the existing technology," says Dowsett.