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At our request, the director of the holding “Behind the Wheel” conducted an experiment: a week I drove in my car with the “start-stop” turned on, and the other with the switch off. And I got a significant difference - about 10% fuel economy. Is this system really so effective, or is it just a special, off-system case? To resolve doubts, we went to the training ground, having previously studied some theoretical conditions.
ATTENTION TO DETAILS
Serial cars were first equipped with a start-stop system more than 20 years ago. Among the pioneers of developers was the notorious "Bosch." His device was called - Start & Stop, and soon this name became a household name for other similar systems.
The principles of operation for products of different companies may vary. The Bosch system uses a reinforced starter designed for a minimum of 150, 000 cycles of operation. Before the motor stops, the electronics monitors the position of the lever of the manual gearbox (must be in neutral), the clutch pedals, the brake, the accelerator, and checks the battery charge. Any deviation from the norm (fallen battery, cold weather, heavy load on the electrical system) - and there will be no “stop”.
Components of the Bosch manufacturing system
Components of the Bosch manufacturing system. Components of the Bosch manufacturing system.
The ability of the generator, like any electric motor, to work on two fronts, prompted the Valeo engineers to hang the starter functions on it. This system is called STARS (STarter-Alternator Reversible System). The reversible generator starts the engine twice as fast (in 0.4 s) of the classic starter and at the same time is almost silent. Reckoning was the strengthening of the drive belt and its tensioner, as increased loads appeared.
With a certain originality, Mazda has developed its SISS (Smart Idle Stop System) system. When you release the brake pedal, gasoline is injected into those cylinders where the pistons are ready for the stroke of the stroke. An additional crankshaft sensor is responsible for stopping them in the desired position. The energy of microexplosion is enough to crank the crankshaft and start the engine (although the starter still gives the initial impulse). In order for the motor components to wear out uniformly, the electronics each time change the pairs of pistons used to scroll the crankshaft.
Operation of the SISS device of the Mazda company. The crankshaft in the right position stops the electronics, covering the throttle and braking the generator. At the time of starting, the starter is briefly turned on, but it only gives the crankshaft initial acceleration
Operation of the SISS device of the Mazda company. The crankshaft in the right position stops the electronics, covering the throttle and braking the generator. At the time of starting, the starter is briefly turned on, but it only gives the crankshaft initial acceleration. Operation of the SISS device of the Mazda company. The crankshaft in the right position stops the electronics, covering the throttle and braking the generator. At the time of starting, the starter is briefly turned on, but it only gives the crankshaft initial acceleration.
Dozens, or even hundreds of launches per day, are many. Cars equipped with a "start-stop" system are distinguished by a reinforced starter and generator, a battery that can withstand many charge-discharge cycles. Cheap cars in this case receive a battery only with reinforced plates that live twice as much. More expensive models use AGM technology. Such batteries have a porous separator impregnated with electrolyte: it fills the space between the plates and prevents them from crumbling. Battery life increases three to four times.
STOP, MACHINE
How profitable is the use of a “start-stop”? The performance of individual models varies significantly, but not because of the advantage of someone’s technology, but, as a rule, due to the difference in measurement methods. Modest handouts promise to save about 6% of fuel, the most unscrupulous - up to 31%. We’ll check on a live car - Audi-A7 with a 3-liter TFSI engine, automatic and, of course, Bosch's start-stop system.
The route along the roads of the Dmitrovsky training ground imitates traffic in an ideal city: a stop at the traffic light for half a minute, a march to the next intersection. These are the most favorable conditions for the effective start-stop operation, but in Russian megacities they are possible only at night. We pass the route twice: once with the system turned off, the other with the system running. After an hour with a little we get results comparable to those promised by the manufacturer - on a 27-kilometer stretch the start-stop system saved 0.3 liters. When measured in relative units, fuel consumption decreased by 7.8%. Not bad.
“Start-stop” can be disabled by pressing the button with this icon
“Start-stop” can be disabled by pressing the button with this icon. “Start-stop” can be disabled by pressing the button with this icon.
Now we will imitate a more real situation: we will leave the same route and stops, but we will add five “protracted traffic jams”. The length of each set about a kilometer. We will have to overcome this distance in turtle mode: we crawl for 10 seconds, we stand the same amount. Savings were reduced by almost half - to 4.4%. No wonder: after several starts in a row, “start-stop” stops turning off the engine, waiting for an acceptable battery charge.
WITH CALCULATOR AND HEALTH
Pick up a calculator. Moving only around the city, and half-empty, and driving 20, 000 km per year, the owner of the Audi-A7 with a 3-liter gasoline engine saves about 7, 000 rubles. It seems to be nice, but … Firstly, there are less and less cities without traffic jams. Secondly, any motorist occasionally, but still breaks out of the boundaries of the metropolis, where a "start-stop" is almost not needed. Thirdly, the more economical the motor itself, the less is the benefit of a “start-stop”.
Only a few companies import cars with a start-stop system into Russia. In addition to Audi, whose car participated in the test, it is offered by BMW, Volkswagen, Citroen, and Land Rover
Only a few companies import cars with a start-stop system into Russia. In addition to Audi, whose car participated in the test, it is offered by BMW, Volkswagen, Citroen, and Land Rover. Only a few companies import cars with a start-stop system into Russia. In addition to Audi, whose car participated in the test, it is offered by BMW, Volkswagen, Citroen, and Land Rover.
In the specifications for the car, as a rule, you will not find the start-stop system with an indication of its cost as a separate item. At BMW it comes as standard equipment, at Audi it is included in the additional equipment package. Independent companies offering the installation of this device usually ask for about 30, 000 rubles. It turns out that even under ideal conditions it will pay off in no less than four years of operation.
Therefore, do not console yourself with the hopes of saving personal funds. Your destiny is to be proud of your contribution to improving the atmosphere of your hometown. After all, you are one of the few who suppresses, although not voluntarily, a uselessly threshing engine at the intersection.
