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Car/BOSCH

100 years of Bosch starter motors

by Rescue911K 2014. 3. 17.



A century ago, in March 1914, Bosch presented its first electric starter motor for automobiles. This marked a giant leap forward in automotive electrification, which would make driving safer and more comfortable. Electric starter motors were a great relief for motorists of the day. It took a lot of effort to start a heavy, large-volume engine, but now chauffeurs no longer had to work up a sweat cranking the engine. What’s more, with manual starting there was always a risk that the crank handle might slip or suddenly kick back – possibly causing serious injury.


The electric power for the new starter motor came from the vehicle battery, which was part of the Bosch automotive lighting system. Bosch had launched this independent power supply system only a year earlier. While the earliest starter motors weighed almost ten kilograms and delivered just 0.6 kilowatts of power, the starter motors in today’s portfolio weigh between 1.9 and 17 kilograms and cover a power range of 0.8 to 9.2 kilowatts, demonstrating just how far starter motor technology has advanced.


The start of a new line of business

“The starter motor is typical of the products Bosch launched in the early days of motorization. All of them were designed to eliminate shortcomings in function, operation, and safety,” 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. Other manufacturers had already attempted to do the same; while the results of their efforts worked relatively well, they were still unsuitable for everyday use and series production. So if Bosch moved quickly, it could develop a better starter motor of its own.


No more cranking

It wasn’t uncommon for motorists to come to serious harm when, instead of turning over, the engine would kick back a short way and cause the heavy crank handle to hit them. At a time when many people were still suspicious of the recently introduced automobile, this danger might all too easily tarnish its public image. Owners – predominantly wealthy individuals who were becoming keen on driving their automobiles themselves rather than being chauffeured – demanded a more convenient alternative. The new electric starter motor could be operated safely and reliably, first by means of a foot pedal and soon after at the touch of a button.


An innovation with a future

Initially, most of the demand for electric starter motors came from North America. This was reason enough for Robert Bosch to ramp up starter motor production at the company’s plant in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1914. Initially, sales of the new device remained modest; by 1927 Bosch had sold approximately 11,000 units. Then the starter motor gradually became more widely accepted, and nearly 550,000 were sold by 1933. But still it took decades for the crank handle to disappear completely from the world’s roads.


Starter motors save fuel

Series production of starter motors specifically tailored for use in start-stop systems began in 2007. To save fuel, this function stops the engine when the vehicle is at a standstill. As soon as the driver presses the gas pedal, the engine starts again – quickly, quietly, and automatically. In order to achieve further reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, Bosch engineers are working on gradually extending the scope of engine shutoff. In what is known as coasting mode, the engine will initially be shut off whenever the vehicle is coasting to a stop. Later, the coasting function will be extended to stop the engine even while on the open road, whenever the driver’s foot is no longer on the gas pedal.


Ready to start at any time

Today, Bosch offers a broad spectrum of robust, reliable starter motors for gasoline and diesel engines – for passenger cars and commercial vehicles, supporting both 12 and 24 volt vehicle electrical systems. In addition to ease of integration, Bosch starter motors are lightweight, compact, and powerful, reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Bosch manufactures more than twelve million starter motors every year, and these are installed in at least one in every five newly manufactured vehicles worldwide.


Automotive Technology is the largest Bosch Group business sector. According to preliminary figures, its 2013 sales came to 30.7 billion euros, or 66 percent of total group sales. This makes the Bosch Group one of the leading automotive suppliers (note: due to a change in the legal rules governing consolidation, the 2013 figures can only be compared to a limited extent with the 2012 figures). Automotive Technology largely operates in the following areas: injection technology for internal-combustion engines, alternative powertrain concepts, efficient and networked powertrain peripherals, systems for active and passive driving safety, assistance and comfort functions, technology for user-friendly infotainment as well as car-to-car and Car2X communication, and concepts, technology, and service for the automotive aftermarket. Bosch has been responsible for important automotive innovations, such as electronic engine management, the ESP® anti-skid system, and common-rail diesel technology. 

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. According to preliminary figures, its roughly 281,000 associates generated sales of 46.4 billion euros in 2013 (Note: due to a change in the legal rules governing consolidation, the 2013 figures can only be compared to a limited extent with the 2012 figures). Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Automotive Technology, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 360 subsidiaries and regional companies in some 50 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. In 2013, Bosch applied for some 5,000 patents worldwide. The Bosch Group’s products and services are designed to fascinate, and to improve the quality of life by providing solutions which are both innovative and beneficial. In this way, the company offers technology worldwide that is “Invented for life.”


Further information is available online at www.bosch.com and www.bosch-press.comhttp://twitter.com/BoschPresse.


PI8462 - March 17, 2014


/ Photo & Report provided by Bosch Press Release - sujung.jang@kr.bosch.com

/ MediaPaper.KR mediapaper@ymail.com  Sejin Oh

/ The News Article was written by receiving a Press Release.

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