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Mr. Luddite

On 1/17/2015 8:04 AM, wrote:

On Saturday, January 17, 2015 at 3:55:10 AM UTC-5, Mr. Luddite wrote:
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1094588_will-ultracapacitors-save-start-stop-systems-from-consumer-wrath

My Audi A6 has the start-stop system on it. Fortunately, it also has a button that allows you to disable it, which I did. The article points out one reason, additional wear and tear on the battery. The second reason that they didn't point out is the wear on the starter and engine itself. With the type of driving I do the fuel savings would be insignificant anyway, and would never come close to paying for the added maintenance.

Yup. Unfortunately the automakers are being forced to employ any and
all means to meet increasing federal fuel economy requirements.
The article points out that very soon half or more cars sold in the USA
will be equipped with start-stop systems.

It's crazy in a way. Sometimes the efforts to meet required standards
simply produce new, more serious environmental problems like the safe
disposal of dangerous chemicals and, in this case, environmentally
unfriendly batteries that wear out faster than normal.

CFL light bulbs contain mercury. How many people actually follow the
disposal instructions when they go bad? How many people follow the
environmental hazard precautions when they dispose of lithium/ion
batteries? Not many, I'll bet.