Stop-start engine project gets green light

Engine and turbocharger manufacturer Cummins is getting government funding to develop stop-start technology for truck and bus engines. Already in widespread use in light-duty applications, the technology shuts engines down after only a short period of idling (for example when waiting at a red light) then restarts the engine automatically when the driver presses the accelerator pedal.

Benefits include lower fuel consumption for the vehicle operator and reduced exhaust pollution for everyone else. The amount of time and energy that it takes to restart a heavy duty diesel engine has so far confined this idea to car and light van applications.

UK government innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board, is providing £4.9 million funding for the £9.9 million project, which involves Cummins facilities in Darlington, Stamford and Peterborough and Huddersfield. To complete the project Cummins will work with a number of partners. Dynex, who produce high power semiconductor devices and assemblies, will develop a new inverter technology for application across the global automotive supply chain. Castlet are designers and packagers of power electronic and control systems. The University of Nottingham will provide electronics research to ensure the project delivers the most advanced power electronic controller in the market.

Dr Neil Brown, Cummins’ technical project leader for Frequent Integrated Soft Stop Start Technology (FIRST), said: “Our customers are demanding improved efficiency from their engines. For those operations with frequent stop-start duty cycles, such as buses and delivery trucks, there is an opportunity for fuel savings by switching off the engine when stationary. “Present solutions have limitations, so the funding enables Cummins to deliver a capable and durable technology to the market in a timely manner.”

The Cummins facility in Stamford and Peterborough produces diesel-powered electrical generators, suggesting that the project may well be focused on producing a diesel paired with a very powerful electric motor/generator, capable of not just starting the diesel engine, but also simultaneously getting the vehicle rolling.

Dr Brown said: “We are planning on developing an engine-centric hybrid solution that is interchangeable with existing engine platforms at very low cost. The aim of project FIRST is to break down technology cost barriers by using a unique technical approach that will in my opinion become a game changer in the industry. “Cummins’ studies have shown that a city bus will have 50 stops per hour, with over 30 per cent of time at idle. This gives the project significant opportunity for efficiency improvements.”