Statistics from French car company Peugeot show that vehicles in the metropolis are idle roughly 30% of the time. So much unnecessary fuel is wasted as the vehicle keeps its engine running even at a standstill. What’s worse is that it increases emissions of carbon dioxide. It is for this reason that Peugeot has decided to bring in vehicles that feature its revolutionary fuel-saving STOP & START system.
The STOP & START system uses what they call a micro-hybridization technology comprised of the combination of a 1.6 liter HDi Euro 5 diesel engine and a reversible alternator. This ensures the STOP & START function while relying on an alternator control system to recover energy during deceleration and a hybrid battery to store and deliver additional energy on startup. This simply means that your vehicle’s engine switches off and goes into standby mode whenever you’re at a red light or stuck in traffic. It then instantly restarts in 400ms on acceleration without additional user intervention. With this kind of technology, you no longer have to worry about using up too much fuel while being at a standstill. You don’t have to worry about successive start-ups either. If your vehicle has a STOP & START function, you can restart automatically, thanks to the reversible alternator technology.
Peugeot’s Philippine line-up consists mainly of vehicles with diesel engines, which is quite surprising because this kind of fuel-saving technology is harder to achieve in these vehicles.
Several studies in other countries show that the STOP & START system has helped in reducing fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Judging by the looks of our metropolis, we are in dire need of more fuel-efficient and eco-friendly vehicles, and this technology from Peugeot just might be the solution.