Automobile manufacturers working to reduce unnecessary engine idling

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(NC)—Did you know that if every driver of a light-duty vehicle in Canada decreased their vehicle idling by three minutes a day, we would collectively save more than 500 million litres of fuel and more than $500 million annually in fuel costs? Not only that, we would prevent more than one billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere each year.

Automobile manufacturers have come up with a way to help drivers reduce fuel use and prevent unnecessary engine idling. Idle start-stop systems are a proven technology that has been successfully deployed over the past ten years in hybrid vehicles. Manufacturers have also begun to make these technologies available in conventional vehicles sold in Canada.

Idle start-stop systems reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions by turning off the engine when the vehicle is stopped and during deceleration at low vehicle speeds. The system automatically restarts the engine when the driver hits the accelerator. In hybrids, when the car comes to a stop, the engine computer cuts the spark and the fuel. When the foot is lifted off the brake, the engine fires back up.

Idle stop systems offer significant benefits in urban driving where stop-and-go traffic is frequent, and can reduce urban fuel consumption by four to 10 per cent depending on the technology used and specific driving conditions.

The technology is designed to provide seamless operation so that drivers are not inconvenienced while driving.

Greater fuel-efficiency on the roads is achieved by consumers who make informed choices when purchasing, maintaining and driving their vehicle. More information on fuel consumption, purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles, and fuel-saving driving behaviours is available online at www.vehicles.gc.ca

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