Varta Launches Aftermarket Start-Stop Battery Range

From 2012, the EU requires maximum vehicle CO2 emissions levels to be reduced to 130 g/km across Europe. Start-stop technology, also known as micro hybrid technology, is a key part of vehicle manufacturers’ efforts to meet this target. Interest in start-stop has already skyrocketed, and forecasts indicate that 70 per cent of all vehicles produced in Europe by 2015 will feature this technology. Under its Varta brand, Johnson Controls Power Solutions EMEA has developed AGM and EFB batteries it says can meet the demands of this technology, and its Varta Start-Stop Plus and Start-Stop batteries are now ready to be launched to the aftermarket.

“As the heart of the start-stop system, the battery is becoming considerably more important as part of the new technology,” explained Christian Rosenkranz, vice president of Product Engineering at Johnson Controls Power Solutions EMEA. The company comments it has been involved in integrating this technology from the start and already supplies 80 per cent of all AGM batteries fitted to new start-stop vehicles. “With our new Varta start-stop range featuring AGM and EFB batteries due to be launched onto the aftermarket within the next few weeks, we are demonstrating our commitment to helping the car industry develop sustainable solutions for reducing CO2 emissions,” added Rosenkranz.

Start-stop technology, as its name implies, saves energy primarily by switching off the engine whenever the vehicle comes to a stop – whether at a red light or in a traffic jam. This results in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions being reduced by up to ten per cent.