Cars With "Stop-Start" Technology

In London traffic, when the engine is cold, I cannot believe there is any benefit to the car from start-stop.  There is a particularly aggressive roundabout which the stop-start seems to always kicks in just as a critical gap opens up - you have to react very quickly and this system introduces hesitation in me which can be dangerous.  I try to remember to switch it off, but often fail, probably because I don't use the car more than once or twice a week.  My car is automatic and, churlish as it is, you can partly disable the system if you apply varying pressure to the brake pedal as the car comes to a halt in traffic.  Something to do when bored, simpler to simply switch it off!

My last car had the auto parking facility but I never did build sufficient confidence to try it out - had images of trips to wheel refurbishment companies!

One techno gripe I have with modern cars are the ones with permanently illuminated dashboards and daytime running lights.  There seem to be a rather high percentage of these where the drivers seem oblivious to the fact that they have omitted to switch on the headlights as dusk descends.  IMO cars with these fitted/ operating should have auto headlight sensors to eliminate these frequent errors.

Peter

We've got a few Nissan Leafs in work along with a few older electric cars.  The Leafs are just brilliant, really usable and well equipped with sat nav and all the usual Nissan cameras etc.  The range is around a hundred miles at the moment which is great for city and town travel if that is all you do and they can be fast charged. Great little cars and really quiet to drive. Once they bring out a battery that can  cover several hundred miles I suspect the petrol engine is dead

I think it will take a long time for mainstream acceptance of full battery cars even when the range expands. It is not just range issues but the charging issue. OK, you may have a driveway and a garage so you can plug your car in overnight (or your at work) but look how many people have cars parked on the street etc. Where do they get hooked up?

I also think battery technology is always going to be limited by weight, space and costs (including longevity issues) even as the technology moves forward. It ultimately uses fossil fuels too in electricity generation.

I think low capacity high efficiency combustion engines (with or without hybrid technology) have a very long life left yet, even though the battery only segment will increase.

Bruce

I am very open to the idea of a hybrid but my regular journeys are 300 km each with most of it motorway (so at high speed). I won't buy a full electric until they can guarantee that I can do 1000 km with my spirited driving style.

We have just ordered a BMW i3 to use on short journeys.

@Wat. Will do. It's going to be a fun experiment, I hope! For us it's going to be a third car. As others have said I don't think pure electric vehicles will be realistic as a primary car for most people until they can at least double their current range. 

I have a friend who swapped his 5 series for a Tesla Model S. After about 6 months he's very happy indeed. 

With or without the range extender engine out of interest?

I guess my point in an earlier post is about that despite the appeal I think we are a way from them being the single car choice of the average motorist. Let's face it the price premium over say a 'bog standard' non electric car remains very significant. I think that at present hybrids and electric cars remain largely the choices of those that like innovation and technology etc, and maybe have one or two other vehicles. The current big hybrid sellers are in premium vehicles, perhaps not least because these manufacturers are having to reduce their emissions across the entire model ranges.

We may buy one next for my wife, but it would very much be a second car and we have the driveway etc where we could install a charger. We've had a petrol electric hybrid before too-a Honda CRZ. Very nice it was too.

Bruce

Guys,

I may have sounded a little arrogant on my previous comment regarding parking assist but I certainly didn't mean to be, apologies if anyone was offended. I can see how some drivers would welcome this feature ( drivers with limited body movement as one example ) I just don't fancy the idea of pulling alongside a parking space, pressing a button or whatever and letting the car park itself. Maybe one day all we will have to do is get in the car, programme a destination and just sit there. Imagine how much fun that will be ! As for the DBS being noisy well yes it is, that's one of the things I enjoy about the car. I can live with it. My previous car ( Audi RS5 ) was a lot more civilised and if I'm honest a lot easier to live with.

I fail to understand what sort of "fun" people can derive from driving today. I live in a the vicinity of a big city, and you spend most of your time sitting behind hundreds of other cars. The same with crowded motorways.

So, yes, "getting into the car, programming a destination and just sitting there" (reading, listening to music, having a pleasant conversation?) has a certain appeal. Pride of ownership is not enough...

Incidentally, as far as the noise of the car is concerned, the driver can certainly "live with it", but can the neighbours?

Hello Tony,

The DBS is a 58 plate in carbon black. I tried to put some pictures on the "nice photos" thread but couldn't figure out how to do it !  I took some shots of the car intending to have them printed up ( photography is my main hobby ) but haven't got around to it yet. When I can figure out how to post some pictures I will do ( lack of computer knowledge showing here ! ).

Sorry, bit off the 'stop/start' topic, but you just need to have your pictures already online using a service such as Picasa or Flickr, which allows you to upload digital pictures or scans of physical pictures, and you can then use the 'tree' button on the posting window to link to the picture so it appears here.

BTW I'm now driving my first car with 'stop/start' and my wife's car also has it, and I've soon learned to slightly lift the foot off the brake when in traffic to restart the engine just before I want to move off, though the restart is instant when done normally (and covered by the gearbox's 'no they all do that, sir' slight hesitation anyway!)

Hello Frenchnaim,

Believe me I do derive a lot of fun from driving. Normally it consists of a run up into the Yorkshire Dales ( not far for me )  where there are some wonderful roads. Yes I also spend time sat in traffic but when the road conditions are right I enjoy my driving. I don't worry about annoying the neighbours as I don't have any !

Teslas are everywhere here; and an increasing number of BMW i3s. Even a few i8s (but they're a fake electric car). Teslas are easily the single most common luxury car in the suburbs where I live. We know a family that has 2! Very few A8s, S-class or 7-series to be seen. With respect to street parking, there is also a guy near me who parks his Leaf in the street and just runs a cable out to it. Not possible for everyone, of course. But charging points are very common - in most downtown parkades (parking garages) and most major hotels.

Seems like the beginning of a revolution to me. There are always the naysayers who will claim "not enough range for my frequent, long and epic high-speed journeys", but for 99% of city-based motoring the 400km+ range of the Model S is more-than-ample. Additionally, Tesla Supercharger stations are en-route to most destinations I'd ever drive to, making long-distance trips only slightly less convenient than conventional refueling. Stop for lunch while your car charges. No biggie, unless you're in a  blinding hurry.

400km+ is not enough for most people? I'm shocked. They want to regularly drive over 800km per day? Most people don't drive that much, do they? My wife, who drives our children's private taxi, seems to spend most her day in the car, and she wouldn't clock up more than 200km, even on a big day. That's enough - 3-4 hours behind the wheel in city and suburban traffic. If anybody has signed up for more than that, it is sad.

Any vehicle I have not only has to be useful for my daily driving needs, for which a modern electric car would suffice, but also for occasional trips away.  Over the weekend I went to a gig in Scotland at a round trip of 600 miles - an electric car would not have been viable for me.  

My regular journey is 300 km. I walk to work.

I'm lucky enough to not have any real daily driving needs. I also try to arrange my recreation to not require 1000km round trips. I tend to live closer to home. I dislike spending time in cars so much that I'd likely not often drive 1000km for a weekend away. I'd choose to do something much closer, ideally within maybe 100km of my front door (where I have enough climbing, hiking, cycling and kayaking to last a lifetime).  My occasional longer driving trips are usually done with others, where we can carpool in the most appropriate vehicle(s).

Tony,

Yep that's the one but mine has 10 spoke alloys. Thanks for the pic !