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September, 2005
The Stop&Start starter alternator from Valeo is said
to be able to reduce your gas consumption in the order of 10 to 15 percent, that is if it is driven extensively in stop-start
driving conditions. Fuel savings, according to the company, can be quite dramatic for cars driven in congested traffic areas
of the world, where the company reports, cars can be at a standstill for up to 35 percent of driving time. In actual operation,
the system is said to save in the order of 15 percent in heavy congested traffic, about 10 percent in everyday traffic and
about 5 percent in light traffic conditions.
Once a car has been retrofitted with the device, the
car engine will be automatically stopped when the vehicle becomes stationary. When the driver puts the gas on the pedal or
releases the brake, the engine will be automatically started again. Called StARS, it has already been adapted to the Citroen
C3, which has already been placed on the market in Germany. That car, one of the first mass produced cars with the start-stop
system has been reported to obtain over 45 miles per gallon.
The system's electronics also improve the alternator's
performance when producing electricity, which also favors reduced fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
Valeo’s add-on unit integrates a starter and an
alternator, that interacts with modern electronics and software to control the systems belt-drive to make starting the engine
a very silent and very quick operation. The alternator-starter has been designed to start the engine three times faster than
your typical starter. The electronics of the device is said to also improve the alternator performance during electricity
production, which is said to help further reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
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