All quiet on the urban front

摘要

It was while walking the relatively short distance from my office in Birdcage Walk to the SMMT offices in Halkin Street that a thought struck me after I had traversed Hyde Park Corner, one of the many "hot traffic spots" of central London. I am not one blessed with an especially well developed sense of smell, but the stench of car and bus exhausts was pretty overwhelming as they sat idling at traffic lights or simply caught up in the congestion. I also tried to imagine how quiet it would be if all these vehicles had their engines switched off ― it would transform London ― and all other cities and towns ― beyond recognition. As it so happened I was attending a Visteon presentation on a new product it has been developing over the Jast few years and was now ready to tell the world. The start- stop principle is hardly new ― Valeo has also developed a similar system even announcing in May that it had contracts with two major carmakers to supply belt-driven combined starter-alternators on two mid-range models to be launched in two and three years time ― but the one being presented on this day looked to be at least as interesting as Valeo's version.