Peugeot-Citroen Has 'Stop and Start' Car

PARIS September 7, 2004; The AP reported that PSA Peugeot Citroen SA will introduce an environmentally friendly car that shuts down its engine when the vehicle is stopped at a traffic light or in a traffic jam, the French car maker said Tuesday.

The car can cut fuel costs by up to 15 percent in urban driving with heavy congestion, Peugeot Citroen Chief Executive Jean-Martin Folz said. Carbon dioxide and particle emissions are reduced proportionately.

The "Stop & Start" system uses technology developed by French car parts company Valeo SA.

The car engine automatically goes into "sleep" mode when stopped and immediately wakes up when the brake pedal is released. A heavy-duty battery and sophisticated power management technology are required because the system requires more power than a normal car.

The system will first be offered in France on the Citroen C3, a small car for city driving, starting in October or November, Folz said.

It will gradually be offered on other cars made by the group. The Stop & Start system will be introduced in other European markets, starting with Britain late this year.

Folz said C3 cars equipped with the system won't cost more than similar traditional cars and said the price will go down as increased volumes allow economies of scale.

Peugeot Citroen considers itself a leader in environmentally friendly technology. It has already made several thousand hybrid vehicles using electric and fossil fuel energy sources, but these are mainly used for delivery vehicles.

The Stop & Start is essentially a normal car with a more powerful starter, while a hybrid uses electric motors to help turn the wheels as well.

Folz said he doesn't foresee his company producing a mass-market hybrid vehicle any time soon, as hybrid vehicles are too expensive to make compared with the savings on fuel and pollution.