Global giant Johnson Controls says it is driving an evolution in stop-start technology— while the rest of us wait for a revolution to happen.
Advanced Market & Technology Strategist Craig Rigby told BBB that the growth of the stop-start market had superseded all expectations, far outweighing the uptake in the electric vehicle (EV) market.
“There is a lot of hype with EVs,” he said. “It’s great technology but it’s going to take time for that technology to find all the answers.
“It will get better, but we don’t have to wait for that to happen. We are driving an evolution while we wait for that revolution to happen.
“For all the talk, the adoption rate of EVs has actually been quite low. The highest adoption rate has been in stop-start vehicles, with several million vehicles being produced a year and growing.
“And they are all powered by lead-acid batteries.”
Johnson’s advanced stop-start vehicles use a 12V lead-acid and 12V lithium-ion battery in combination, which the company claims delivers a 5-8% fuel saving over conventional vehicles.
Rigby said that with some modifications to the electric system, advanced stop-start capacity had been stretched with the use of the lithium-ion battery.
Because of new European standards, more than 80% of cars made there will use stop-start technology, said Rigby, and at the moment lead-acid was the only economically viable choice to fulfil that demand.
