Stop-start coasting system to save fuel, cut co2 emissions, on Middle East roads

• Bosch says breakthrough in green automotive engineering will become as common as AC in cars

Dubai. A breakthrough in green automotive engineering allowing motorists to  cruise for a third of every journey without using fuel, will soon become as common as air conditioning in cars on Middle East roads, an industry expert says.

The new start-stop coasting function from Bosch Automotive enables drivers of combustion engine vehicles to travel in zero-emission, noise-free, low resistence mode over large parts of their journey.

The system cuts CO2 emissions in real traffic and produces a 10 per cent fuel saving by stopping the engine when the vehicle is in motion and the driver takes his foot off the gas.

“Whenever the vehicle can maintain its speed simply by rolling, for instance on a gentle incline, the engine is stopped,” said Andreas Bodemer, Vice President of Bosch Middle East and Africa.

“Then, as soon as the driver touches the gas or brake pedal, the system starts up the engine again.”

Tests carried out by Bosch have shown that the combustion engines runs needlessly about 30 per cent of the time, and a vehicle could simply coast for about a third of every journey.

“The new stop-start system has been designed to capitalise on this, and under real traffic conditions will give drivers a roughly 10 per cent fuel saving,” said Bodemer.

“The system can be integrated in just about any vehicle in the Middle East. Whether you drive a European diesel-powered car, an American gasoline model, or an Asian CNG-powered vehicle, you stand to benefit from this technology.

“Is is affordable, can be combined with any type of combustion engine, and we’re confident it will soon become an everyday feature in cars – just like air conditioning.”

The significance of this latest Bosch green engineering innovation is highlighted by the impact of lower fuel consumption on CO2 Emissions

The first generation of the system stopped the engine only when the vehicle was completely stationary. The new version, thanks to enhanced software, cuts the engine as soon as the driver’s foot is off both the gas and the brake pedals.