Johnson Controls Offers Micro Hybrid Battery for Start-Stop Systems ...

Forget high-voltage hybrids and instead look to the practicality of 48-volt systems, says Johnson Controls.

Alex Molinaroli, president of the company?s power systems business, said on Monday that a combination 12- and 48-volt system will power efficient start-stop vehicles first in Europe and eventually in North America. The company has named the battery system Micro Hybrid, a term that has generally been used for minimalist hybrid systems.

Mr. Molinaroli said that vehicles with start-stop systems ? a feature that shuts down the engine when the vehicle is not moving to eliminate fuel waste while waiting at a stoplight, for instance ? would soon edge out traditional vehicles. The Johnson Controls system will use the higher voltage for functions like electric air-conditioning and regenerative braking.

No cost was discussed for the system, and the company declined to name probable customers for the system. Energy savings are estimated at 5 percent to 10 percent. Initially the system will include separate lead-acid 12-volt and lithium-ion 48-volt batteries, but the second generation will combine both voltages in a single lithium-ion battery pack.

Higher voltages have been promoted by automakers and suppliers before, with disappointing results. A flurry of interest in 42-volt systems in the 1990s died out when engineering advances in power consumption at the lower end ? and the advent of full-hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius at the high end ? of the energy scale stole their thunder.

The new interest in 48 volts is a result of a focus on the battery as an active part of the drive system, rather than just as a source for high power, said Bernd Engwicht, vice president for lead-acid batteries at the company. He said the 48-volt technology gives inexpensive energy storage compared to full hybrid systems, while remaining below the 60-volt threshold for human safety that requires expensive insulation and isolation of electrical circuits.

Source: http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/15/johnson-controls-offers-start-stop-battery-system/

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