Johnson Controls says it has produced a more advanced form of micro-hybrid technology in conjunction with smaller, cheaper hybrid battery packs intended to jolt the auto industry.
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Global automotive supplier Johnson Controls says it has reduced a micro-hybrid battery pack from the size of a car trunk to the size of a shoebox, representing a significant breakthrough for a technology whose presence in the U.S. auto market is expected to grow significantly by end of the decade.
The newer, more advanced forms of micro-hybrid technology — in conjunction with smaller, cheaper battery packs — could help automakers achieve the fuel efficiency standards known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy requirements.
Don’t confuse micro-hybrids with tiny cars like General Motors Co.’s Chevrolet Spark or Toyota Motor Corp.’s Scion iQ. Micro-hybrid vehicles, currently a mostly European trend, are most often associated with start-stop technology — the engine stops running when a vehicle is stopped, and restarts when the accelerator is pressed. That technology can be combined with regenerative braking, which allows a vehicle to recoup energy normally lost during the braking process, for even greater fuel savings.
Micro-hybrids are seen by many in the industry as a more affordable alternative to full hybrids, which have a much larger lithium-ion or nickel-metal-hydride battery pack.
The Johnson Controls system consists of a 48-volt lithium-ion battery pack and an advanced low-voltage lead-acid battery that supports higher power loads and regenerative braking features.
The allure of a micro-hybrid system is that it can be implemented in large gas or diesel-powered vehicles — SUVs and trucks — at a lower cost. Those costs, because of the shrunken Johnson Controls battery pack, will be hundreds of dollars instead of thousands for full hybrids, said Brian Kesseler, president of Johnson Controls’ power solutions business. That micro-hybrid system could be a part of automakers’ U.S. lineups by the end of the decade, during the first wave of CAFE requirements, which call for each automaker’s fleetwide average fuel economy to equal 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.
