Concerns
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the US raised questions about non-hybrid Honda vehicles equipped with the company's 'Idle Stop' transmissions in February 2001 due to concerns over the "sudden lurching forward of a vehicle in an automatic restart" – rather than the "gradual creeping forward found in current transmission designs."
Hybrid/electric assist vehicles experience almost no delay in power from a stop, due to the instant availability of power from the traction battery to the electric motor(s). Gasoline/microhybrids on the other hand generally experience slight delays (albeit fractions of a second).
Many people think that long term use may induce additional wear due to lack of oil lubrication, but this is not true. In a start stop system the short stop times keep the engine and oil warm, retaining lubrication. Some implementations do not use a starter motor, eliminating concerns of starter motor wear. Mazda i-stop used in their Mazda3/Axela line (in Europe and JDM) uses combustion to restart their engine by sensing the position of the piston in the cylinder. They claim quieter and quicker engine restart within 0.35 seconds.
Start-stop systems are heavily reliant on the battery. Testing indicates that AGM batteries diminish in their ability to support start-stop functionality over time. . While alternatives exist (NiZn, Lithium-Ion, Ultracapacitors, PbC), virtually all automakers continue to use conventional AGM lead acid batteries.
Read more about this topic: Start-stop System
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