By Brian Silvestro, Road & Track
Automatic start-stop technology started appearing on cars a few years back, and people have mixed feelings about it. While it certainly saves some amount of fuel, there's no easy way to know just how much is saved. Also, depending on the calibration of the system, stop-start can be incredibly annoying to live with. But thanks to this video put together by Engineering Explained, we now know how beneficial using a start-stop system really is.
Most people think the amount of fuel saved using a start-stop system is negligible, but in reality, that fuel burned while idling at a stop adds up quickly. A study by the Society of Automotive Engineers found that using start-stop can see a car's fuel economy improve by over eight percent in heavy traffic. That might not sound like a lot, but over time, it adds up to a whole lot of wasted gas.
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| © BMW It might be annoying, but that start-stop feature on your car could be saving you a lot more fuel than you initially thought. |
And if you're worried that start-stop systems put additional strain on starer motors, don't be-Fenske says automakers have taken that into consideration, improving the durability of their starter motors accordingly. So next time you think about turning off start-stop, maybe consider leaving it on if you care about saving gas.
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