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Made for stop and go?

Created December 3, 2004, at 5:13 pm by Anonymous

What is the impact of stop and go commute type driving on mileage, battery, starter, etc. if the engine shuts down for every stop? My concern is that the hybrids are designed for use in cruising or at least more time in motion than stopped.

Has the gasoline engine starter been designed for this or is this a situation where undue stress is placed on the starter, shortening expected life and reliability?

Anonymous

7 years ago

The hybrid cars currently on the market do not have a traditional low-speed starter (Honda has an "auxiliary" starter they use when the engine is cold). They use their high-voltage motors to bring the engine up to idle speed before they cut in spark and fuel. This makes startups easier on the engine. The hybrids also work very hard to keep engine temperatures within "closed loop" mode to maintain low emissions (the catalytic converter must be up to operating temperature to be effective).

So in short, the answer to your question is, that the current crop of hybrids is in fact designed for peak efficiency in stop-and-go conditions...remember the first Prius (1998) was designed with downtown Tokyo in mind...

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