Gates will equip the new generation 1.4L and 1.6L diesel engines of PSA

Peugeot Citroën. These engines, which were introduced to the market in the fall of 2010, are endowed with a new start/stop system, that allows a silent 400-millisecond restart that drivers won’t notice.

The car maker’s start/stop diesel, called e-HDI, is a belt driven starter-generator that will cut CO2 emissions with 5g per kilometre on average and up to 15% in congested urban traffic. The alternator-motor is developed by Valeo and driven by Gates latest MT5+ high load EPDM Micro-V belt.

The special high-torque Micro-V belt is developed to provide the performance required in an engine starting function, good for 600,000 restarts. Through improvements to the adhesion system and the development of a new EPDM rubber formulation and Aramid cord pack, the load capacity of the belt has been increased to live up to the demanding engine starting requirements.

Gates also developed two specific tensioners for the system. Those provide a low level of belt tension to ensure high efficiency and a minimum of friction losses in the belt drive system.

The result is an immediate, noiseless and vibration-free restart, which is twice as fast as the initial start with a key.