Spring-loaded engine starter

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by ConnClark

Springs aren't the way to go and neither is compressed air. You need gunpowder!!

IIRC Kia's Eco-Cee'd has a start/stop system which squirts a drop of fuel into a cylinder of the stopped engine and ignites it, causing the engine to turn. This is supposed to start the engine faster than a normal starter.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

IIRC Kia's Eco-Cee'd has a start/stop system which squirts a drop of fuel into a cylinder of the stopped engine and ignites it, causing the engine to turn. This is supposed to start the engine faster than a normal starter.

Here's Mazda's version
Green Car Congress: Mazdas New Smart Idling Stop System for Direct-Injection Spark-Ignition Engines

[macrumpton]

This is not exactly what you are proposing, but related in some ways:
If you google "start stop car" you will find lots of links to an up and coming technology that shuts the engine off when you are at a stoplight and starts it up instantly when you release the brake (or press in the clutch).

Some of these systems just use a beefed up starter motor to deal with the greater demands of frequent fast starting, but some systems designed for trucks(Ford I think) use a hydraulic pump to compress air when you brake, and use that compressed air to get the vehicle moving again. These systems are quite effective at reducing the wasted fuel in start stop traffic, in some cases saving up to 10%