100 years of Bosch starters
Remember those old movies where someone would try to start a car by rigorously cranking an engine? These days, such a task is thankfully no longer required due to various electrical starter systems now found in virtually every vehicle.
Just on 100 years ago Bosch introduced its first electric starter motor for automobiles. Power for the new starter motor was supplied via the vehicle battery, and was part of the Bosch automotive lighting system.
While the earliest starter motors weighed almost 10kg and delivered just 0.6kW of power, today’s starter motors weigh only between 1.9 and 17kg and cover a power range of 0.8 to 9.2kW. This marked a giant leap forward in automotive electrics, making driving safer and more comfortable.
“The starter motor is typical of the products Bosch launched in the early days of automobiles. They were designed to eliminate the shortcomings in function, operation, and safety compared to older generation starter motors,” says Ulrich Kirschner, president of the Bosch Starter Motors and Generators division.
It was Gottlob Honold, Bosch’s chief engineer, who had the idea of using an electric motor to start the engine. While other manufacturers attempted to do the same, the motors were still unsuitable for everyday use and series production. Seeing the potential, Bosch moved quickly to develop a better starter motor of its own.
It was not uncommon for motorists to suffer an injury when, instead of turning over, the engine would kick back a short way and cause the heavy crank handle to hit them.
Owners – predominantly wealthy individuals who became particularly interested in driving their automobiles themselves rather than being chauffeured – demanded a more convenient, yet safer alternative. The new electric starter motor operated safely and reliably initially, first by means of a foot pedal before progressing to the touch of a button.
In the beginning, most of the demand for electric starter motors came from North America and as a result Robert Bosch in 1914 decided to ramp up starter motor production at the company’s plant in Plainfield, New Jersey. Initially, sales of the new device remained modest, but gradually the starter motor became more widely accepted, with nearly 550,000 being sold by 1933.
As automotive engines and vehicle technology progressed, Bosch would tailor its starter motors specifically for use in start-stop systems, with the series production starting in 2007.
Start-stop systems help save fuel by stopping the engine when the vehicle is at a standstill, such as when stopped at traffic lights. Depending on the vehicle the engine starts again quickly, quietly, and automatically when the driver presses the gas pedal or releases the brake pedal.
In order to achieve further reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, Bosch engineers are now working on gradually extending the scope of engine shut-off. In what is known as “coasting mode”, the engine will be shut off whenever the vehicle is coasting to a stop.
Today, Bosch offers a broad spectrum of robust, reliable starter motors for gasoline and diesel engines in both passenger and commercial vehicles with 12 or 24 volt vehicle electrical systems.
In addition to the ease of integration, Bosch starter motors are lightweight, compact, and powerful while reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Bosch manufactures more than 12 million starter motors every year, with at least one in every five being included in newly manufactured vehicles worldwide.
For more information, contact the customer service hotline at 0800 452 896 (New Zealand) or email CustomerService.AA@au.bosch.com. Website: www. boschautoparts.co.nz