Porsche's Panamera is one of the first vehicles offered in the U.S. with start-stop technology.
Another day, another company announcing expanded production of components for super-efficient vehicles featuring advanced battery technology.
Johnson Controls will invest $138.5 million to convert its battery plant near Toledo, Ohio, into a battery facility for start-stop systems and other high-efficiency vehicles. Subject to final state and local incentives, the facility will be the company’s first such plant in the United States.
“Start-Stop vehicle technology is emerging globally as one of the most affordable options for consumers who want to buy a more fuel-efficient car for very little added cost up front,” said Alex Molinaroli, president of Johnson Controls Power Solutions. “We see this market growing to 35 million batteries globally by 2015, and the United States is an important piece of the market.”
Expect more companies to make similar announcements as automakers look for every opportunity to increase fuel economy with technologies using advanced batteries.
Johnson Controls’ investment will add 6 million in absorbent glass mat battery capacity by 2013. The expansion will create 50 new jobs and retain 400 existing jobs in the community. AGM batteries perform better than standard batteries when used in start-stop systems.
Start-stop is a technology applied to a standard gasoline-powered vehicle that automatically shuts the engine off during idle, reducing fuel use and emissions by 5 percent to 12 percent, and restarts when the driver engages the clutch or releases the brake pedal.
Johnson Controls is the leading supplier of start-stop batteries in Europe. In 2010, the company supplied 3 million start-stop batteries in Europe, and is adding capacity there to reach 11.2 million batteries by 2015.
While many automakers have experimented with the technology for decades and have offered it for several years in other countries, they have been slow to introduce the technology here. So far, only Porsche has offered it on a non-hybrid vehicle, but Ford plans to introduce it for 2012.
“In addition to start-stop, our original equipment customers are also turning to our AGM technology to support many of their other new high-efficiency vehicles that place similar aggressive demands on the battery,” said Jorge Guillen, Johnson Controls Power Solutions’ vice president for start-stop systems.
Pending final state and local approvals, Johnson Controls will receive a combination of tax credits and incentives from the state of Ohio totaling $25 million. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer and the first line will launch production in spring 2012.