Before The Sound Barrier

Table of contents:

Before The Sound Barrier
Before The Sound Barrier

Video: Before The Sound Barrier

Video: Before The Sound Barrier
Video: Sound Deadening install before and after 2024, March
Anonim

As early as 2012, the EU limit value for average fleet CO2 emissions could be 120 grams per kilometer. Even small manufacturers therefore have to develop fuel-saving techniques. Kia relies on start-stop systems and hybrids for the Ceed.

From Sebastian Viehmann

You actually learn that in driving school: if you stop at the traffic lights for a long time, please turn off the engine to save fuel. But mostly you let it be for convenience. Systems for automatic engine shutdown provide a remedy. For BMW (1 and 3 series) and Mercedes (A and B class) there are already fuel-saving packages including start-stop technology. The compact class kings Ford, Opel or VW have not yet offered them. There were systems for engine shutdown in the Volkswagen Group as early as the early 1980s. With the BlueMotion concept, Wolfsburg is instead building on weight savings, low-friction tires, improved aerodynamics and a modified gear ratio. Ford relies on the same horse for vehicles like the Fiesta Econetic, as does Opel with its Ecoflex models.

Unclear surcharge

At Kia, models with start-stop technology are available from dealers from 2009. The Ceed ISG with 1.4 liter petrol engine is the beginning. The system will cost about 600 euros extra, it says at Kia. The exact numbers have not yet been determined. The Koreans first want to test whether customers are willing to put more money on the table for fuel-saving technologies in the compact class. The automatic start-stop system does not cost any extra for BMW and Mercedes.

Engine from under four km / h

Image
Image

Kia's system is called ISG (Idle Stop and Go). It switches off the engine when the car goes slower than four km / h. The prerequisite for this is that the battery has at least 75 percent of its maximum charge available. When the engine is cold in winter and other consumers such as headlights or heating demand their electricity from the on-board network, the electronics first switch the system off. The start-stop systems from other manufacturers also work in a similar way.

On a first test drive in the Ceed ISG with the 109 hp 1.4 liter engine, the system made a positive impression. The automatic switching on and off of the motor goes almost unnoticed and does not prove to be a nuisance in city operation. If you press the clutch before starting, the engine will start again before you have engaged first gear. However, you have to get used to shifting the gear lever to neutral shortly before stopping.

No date for series production yet

Image
Image

With start-stop, the Kia Ceed swallows up to 15 percent less gasoline, according to the manufacturer. Just over five liters of consumption and CO2 emissions of around 140 grams per kilometer should then be on average. While Kia is one step ahead of many large competing companies in terms of start-stop, there is still no date for series production of hybrid vehicles.

The Ceed Hybrid is equipped with a 1.6 liter gasoline engine and a 15 kilowatt electric motor, the total output of the car is 140 hp. The Ceed is a mild hybrid, so it cannot drive purely electrically - the electric motor only supports the petrol engine. Consumption should decrease by a quarter.

Plus and minus in fleet consumption

Image
Image

When it comes to reducing the CO2 emissions of their vehicle fleets, car manufacturers are making different progress. The British internet magazine Clean Green Cars recently published a statistic that compares the CO2 fleet emissions in the first half of 2008 with those in the same period in 2007.

The greatest advances were made by Jeep (around 17 percent improvement), Subaru (14 percent) and BMW (11 percent). According to Clean Green Cars, the losers included Dodge and Chevrolet - their fleet emissions even increased. In terms of absolute figures for average CO2 emissions, Fiat ranks first as the most environmentally friendly brand, closely followed by Mini and Peugeot.

The target of the EU 2012 CO2 limit for cars from an average of 120 grams per kilometer achieved so far, none of the manufacturers, the current average is across the EU at around 160 grams.

It is not only German carmaker the bogeymen - Ford, Volkswagen and BMW, for example, are still doing quite well when it comes to the average CO2 emissions of their fleets. Many manufacturers have to be prepared for penalties to be paid to Brussels. For car buyers this means that many cars are likely to become significantly more expensive.

Recommended: