Start-stop turns off a vehicle’s engine when it is stopped to save fuel. Depending on driving habits, Kirk Pebley, start-stop system supervisor, said Ford’s system can see fuel efficiency improvements of up to 10 percent.
DEARBORN, MI- As promised, Ford Motor Co. plans to significantly increase its offering of vehicles with start-stop technology.
The Dearborn-based Thursday said it plans to offer auto start-stop technology on 70 percent of Ford’s North American vehicle lineup by 2017.
Start-stop (also sometimes referred to as stop-start) turns off a vehicle’s engine when it is stopped to save fuel. Depending on driving habits, Kirk Pebley, start-stop system supervisor, said Ford’s system can see fuel efficiency improvements of up to 10 percent.
“It’s pretty smooth and seamless,” he said during a media event Thursday in Dearborn, Mich. “I think that’s what sets us apart from the rest of our competition.”
In Ford’s system, like other star-stop systems, there are certain circumstances – engine temperature, battery charge, air temperature and other settings – where it will not engage. Unlike some systems, Ford does have a button where you can turn the system completely off.
Ford FusionFord officials would not discuss what engines will be getting the optional $295 system, which started on the 1.6-liter EcoBooost engine and is now only available on the 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine.
“Our objective is to make the technology as affordable as we possibly can,” said Samantha Hoyt, Fusion marketing manager. “Although we can’t talk about future pricing today, since we are going to be migrating start-stop along more of our lineup, we’re hoping it becomes more affordable for our customers.”
Ford currently offers start-stop systems on a handful of vehicles in Europe, but only the Fusion midsize sedan in the U.S. Other automakers, including crosstown rival General Motors Co., have started using start-stop as a way to help meet the government’s upcoming fuel economy regulations.
In November at the 2013 LA Auto Show, Ford executives announced the automaker planned to“significantly” increase its usage of the systems.
“While auto start-stop is a fairly new technology to our product lineup, it’s one you’ll be hearing about from Ford in the near future,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president of Global Product Development, during the Edge concept at the 2013 LA Auto Show. “We plan to make it available on all of our highest volume products.”
By year-end, Ford expects to sell more than 500,000 vehicles equipped with Auto Start-Stop globally.