Starting in early September of this year, Volvo cars will make the fuel-saving start/stop feature available on vehicles using the six speed automatic and D3 2.0 liter diesel engine. Not only will this boost fuel economy in the city, but it will also lower emissions on the already clean Volvo diesels. At first, only the S60, V60, V70 and S80 using the turbocharged diesel will be available with the feature.
“Continuously reducing CO2 emissions from conventional powertrains is an important part of our DRIVe Towards Zero emissions. It is the most effective way to cut CO2 throughout our model range in the short term. This work is running parallel with our innovative focus on electrification technologies,” said Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research and Development at Volvo Car Corporation.
The new start/stop feature will cycle automatically, which was a slightly more difficult challenge to perfect compared to the already available manual start/stop. “We have focused on achieving the same agile feeling as you get with today’s conventional automatic. The response is so seamless that it feels like the car starts accelerating immediately when the engine restarts,” said Mertens. When a monitor tied to the brake system detects pressure, it will trigger the engine to shut down upon a complete stop. While it is off, an extra electric pump holds oil pressure in the automatic transmission so that restarts can be almost unfelt. Word is still out as to whether or not Volvos with gasoline engines will receive this feature.
Source: Volvo
