The engine automatic start-stop technology actually appeared in the 1930s, but it was not widely used in traditional cars until the mid-1980s. In 1984, the automatic start-stop technology was first applied to Volkswagen Golf diesel engines. Subsequently, many car brands have a strong interest in the technology, and began to trial install the system in small batches, such as Fiat Mazda, Honda, Citroen, GM and so on. In 2007, this technology began to be applied in large quantities on BMW models.
But one thing has its two sides, such as automatic engine start and stop technology. If you go to the 4S shop to buy a car, you may encounter such an interesting situation. A and B cars of the same level and the same price. A car has automatic engine start and stop technology, and B car does not have this. technology. When you go to the 4S shop of the A car, the sales staff will tell you the various benefits of the engine start and stop technology, and when you go to the 4S shop of the B car, the sales person tells you that the engine automatic start and stop technology is damaged. The engine has a lot of shortcomings. So, is the engine automatic start-stop technology good or not?
How to use the start-stop system?
The automatic start-stop system is automatically turned on by default when the key is powered on. To turn it off, just press the button. The automatic start-stop system is very convenient to use. As long as you directly step on the brake pedal during driving, the engine will automatically shut down after about two seconds when the vehicle stops completely. If you keep pressing the brake pedal, the engine will remain off. As soon as the brake is released, or the steering wheel is turned, or the gear is switched, the engine will automatically ignite immediately, and you can immediately step on the accelerator to start. The entire process is in the D gear state. When the manual gear is in the neutral gear, the clutch is turned off when the clutch is loose, and it is automatically restarted when you step on the clutch.
So, what are the advantages of automatic engine start-stop technology?
Of course, this is obvious, that is, fuel saving. After the automatic start and stop function, the engine is still working in a strict sense. It is at normal operating temperature and is temporarily “sleeping”, but the pulley is stopped and the speed is also reduced. Therefore, there is no problem of instantaneous high fuel consumption . According to GM, after being equipped with an automatic start-stop system, the fuel saving rate can reach about 10% in actual use, and it can also reduce 15.1g of carbon dioxide emissions per 100 kilometers. German Bosch has also done this experiment before, and they have concluded that the average fuel saving rate is about 8%-15%, the more congestion, the greater the displacement, the more obvious the effect. China Automobile Technology Research Center has also tested, fuel efficiency rate even reached 7%-27%.
So for many people, is it true to hurt the engine?
Some people think that the automatic start and stop function is best not used, because frequent start and stop will cause the piston to wear, and the metal debris produced will also wear other key components of the engine, which will cause great damage to the engine over time. Frequent start and stop of the engine is indeed a bit bigger than the engine wear , but they all ignore one point- most of the engine wear occurs when the cold car is started . Therefore, frequent starting does not cause much wear on the engine. The engine is mainly lubricated by the oil film. In view of the short time for automatic start and stop, the oil pumped by the oil pump will not flow back, and a lot of oil remains on the parts. There is no effect on the speed and time of starting and hot starting.
Since the automatic start-stop type uses the starting motor and battery more intensively , the related components have been optimized, so under normal driving conditions, the reliability of the entire power system will be greatly improved, so do not I am worried about this. However, the maintenance cost of the enhanced starter and battery will also be higher than that of the ordinary starter and battery.
Precautions for using the automatic start and stop function
If your vehicle has an automatic start and stop function, you may see some notes on its use in the manual. Due to the technical principle of automatic start and stop, you must understand its characteristics in some scenarios: First, if the vehicle When driving to a relatively ramp, try not to open the automatic start and stop , because the automatic start and stop time is very short, but the start and stop of the engine on the slope may cause insufficient braking assistance of the vehicle.
Secondly, when the hot weather air conditioner in southern China is running at full horsepower, it is best to turn off the automatic start and stop function, because the air conditioner requires relatively large power consumption, and the body power may not be enough to drive the air conditioner when the engine is stopped. The passengers in the car feel uncomfortable, so there is no need to save so much.
Summary
Since a new technology can be widely used, it inevitably shows that its advantages outweigh its disadvantages, but to be honest, I always turn off the automatic start-stop function of the engine while driving. Not because it will damage the engine, starter and battery, but the driving experience brought about by the automatic start and stop is not very good. When encountering a traffic jam and moving forward slowly, stop and go, the engine continuously starts and stops, which not only aggravates the burden of the starter and the battery, but also makes the driver feel very upset. In addition, when you don’t want to turn off the engine, for example, if the front car has stepped on a brake, you may stop but then you have to leave. It’s annoying if the engine is off at this time.