Sign of things to come

17 July 2012  

Start-Stop Systems started to become commonplace in 2007 and micro hybrids are now beginning to enter workshops in need of a replacement Absorbent Glass Mat, or AGM, battery.  Cars fitted with one five years ago include the VW Passat, Fiat 500, Toyota Auris, Kia Cee’d and BMW 1, 3 and 5 Series.  

The Start-Stop system automatically turns off the engine and back on again in urban driving conditions, saving up to 8% in fuel consumption and reducing emissions. Other technologies make the vehicle even more efficient with the addition of brake energy regeneration and alternator passive boost.

Bosch supplies a comprehensive range of batteries to support these increasingly used systems. To summarise, AGM units cope with three or four times the number of cycles as a traditional battery and operate at much lower states of charge. The Enhanced Flooded Battery, EFB, is designed for smaller micro hybrids and sits between the traditional lead-acid battery and the AGM type. Bosch’s S5 EFB is suitable for entry level Start-Stop system. An S6 AGM is for high efficiency Start-Stop vehicles which have brake energy recuperation.

Using the wrong battery in these vehicles will either be rejected instantly by the battery management system or will fail after time.