It isn't just the latest vehicle prototypes stealing the show next week at the North American International Auto Show.
Johnson Controls Inc. says it will introduce a 48-volt micro hybrid demonstration module during next week's show in Detroit.
The company anticipates its new technology will equate to more fuel savings that the current start-stop batteries it has made available to the marketplace, which allow a car to stop at a red light and then start again when the accelerator is pressed. Fuel economy savings are estimated to be about 5 to 10 percent.
But Johnson Controls claims its new micro hybrid technology is poised to deliver upwards of 15 to 20 percent in fuel economy, according to remarks by Alex Molinaroli, president of the company's power solutions business.
In a recent presentation to investors, Molinaroli credited the combination of start-stop and micro hybrid technologies with improving gas mileage enough to slow the industry's migration to all-electric vehicles. Johnson Controls was the first auto supplier to begin production of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid cars.