Kia to Show Stop-Start Technology, Two Hybrid Concepts and New Fuel Cell Vehicle at Paris
25 September 2008
Alongside the world debut of the new Soul urban crossover vehicle at the Paris Mondial de l’Automobile in October, KIA will showcase a cee’d ‘Idle Stop&Go’ (ISG) car due to go on sale in 2009, a concept hybrid version of the Soul, a concept cee’d hybrid, and the latest-generation fuel-cell powered Sportage.
The stop-start ISG system automatically switches the engine off when the car is stopped in heavy traffic and on again when traffic moves, cutting fuel consumption and emissions by up to 15% in typical city driving conditions.
The Soul Hybrid concept features Kia’s Gamma 1.6-liter gasoline engine mated to a 15 kW, 105 Nm electric motor, Kia’s own CVT (continuously variable transmission), with ISG (Idle Stop&Go) and regenerative braking functions. The prototype is designed to achieve fuel consumption of 4.9 L/100km (48 mpg US) and CO2 emissions of 117 g/km.
Kia R&D created the cee’d Hybrid to take part in real-world test activities in Europe. Like the Soul Hybrid, the cee’d uses an upgraded powertrain with a 1.6-liter engine and 15 kW electric motor. Performance targets are 4.8 L/100km and a CO2 figure of 114 g/km.
The new Sportage FCEV, which makes its European premiere at Paris, uses a higher output 100 kW fuel cell stack and a new lithium-ion polymer 152V battery pack, which give the Sportage FCEV higher performance, a greatly extended 300 km driving range and a cold weather start-up capability to operate in sub-zero temperatures.
Kia makes a small car I see advertised for under $10k. If they can add start/stop or even a BAS like system for less and keep the price down, they could generate some buyer interest.
Posted by: sjc | 25 September 2008 at 01:24 PM
According to publicly available info, Mazda's Stop-Start system is so more elegant, simpler and (hopefully) cheaper (to implement) than any other. Almost a purely software solution with some extra sensors.
Other car makers should seriously think of licencing it, provided it proves itself in real life. Reportedly Mazda plans its introduction in 2009 in some models.
Posted by: MG | 25 September 2008 at 03:24 PM
The Mazda starting system could have been built by Henry Ford for the Model T and saved a lot of cranking.
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 26 September 2008 at 12:00 AM