Apr 21 2010
According to a global supplier of lighting systems and electronics for the automotive industry, Hella, fuel-saving technologies will help in meeting the latest fuel economy standards in the U.S.
Hella believes that despite the popularity of alternative-fuel vehicles and hybrids, people in North America will favor better fuel-efficient vehicles in the future. Hella has proved that significant amount of fuel costs can be saved on current vehicles via lighting and electronics technologies that are already being used in Europe.
According to Hella Electronics Corporation’s president, Dr. Martin Fischer, electric and hybrid vehicles are not the sole solution to improve fuel cost savings. The company, has been offering advanced fuel-management technologies such as intelligent battery sensors, demand-driven fuel pumps, electric turbo charger actuators, start-stop controls, electric vacuum pumps, accelerator pedal sensors, and fuel and oil-quality sensors for over 14 years.
Fischer also said that the HID-lighting and full-LED lighting systems from Hella help in bringing down CO2 emissions and energy usage. He added that these benefits together can increase the overall fuel efficiency of the vehicle by nearly 30%.
To further prove this point, two European cars with same type of engines were studied to assess their fuel-savings. Out of the two, one vehicle contained Hella’s voltage stabilizer and intelligent battery sensor and it produced 17% less CO2 compared to the one without Hella’s technologies. Moreover, the fuel usage of the car equipped with Hella’s technologies was also significantly lesser.
The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the U.S expect automakers to strictly meet the new fuel-economy standards by adopting conventional technologies, which are already being used for commercial purposes.
Fischer concluded that as such there is no direct and easy solution for efficient fuel usage, but use of various electronic products can aid auto manufacturers in reducing the consumption of energy as well as CO2 emissions in the long run.