The Wisconsin-based battery company, the world's largest car battery supplier, has a leading global market share in advanced battery technologies that enable cars to turn off momentarily at a traffic light.
Saving emissions while idling through these start-stop vehicle systems can boost fuel economy by 5%.
At its factory in Changxing, the company has begun shipping batteries that are more durable and long-lasting than conventional starter batteries. These batteries enable the air conditioner, radio and navigation system to keep running when the engine in a start-stop car is turned off.
Customers include global manufacturers as well as Chinese automakers such as SAIC Motor Corp. An even more advanced type of start-stop battery, known as absorbent glass mat, will also be made in China, according to Johnson Controls.
"We plan to continue to invest in bringing advanced technologies, technical capabilities and capacity to the country in collaboration with our customers," Kenneth Yeng, general manager of the China power solutions business for Johnson Controls, said in a statement.
The announcement came from Shanghai, timed to the opening of Shanghai's auto show, where Johnson Controls is showing a 12-volt lithium-ion battery that it designed for advanced start-stop vehicle systems. These can deliver fuel economy gains of up to 8%, according to the company.
The global market for start-stop vehicles could reach 49 million a year by 2020, according to Johnson Controls, which forecasts that two out of every five new cars sold in China will use the technology by then.
A separate industry forecast, published by Navigant Research, says the market for these vehicles in the Asia Pacific region will reach 20 million vehicles by 2019 and surpass 35 million by 2024.
By that time, these vehicles could account for more than half of all new vehicles sold worldwide, Navigant researchers project.
The appeal of start-stop vehicles is that they can deliver a boost to fuel economy — and reduce carbon emissions from tailpipes — without much additional cost to a car buyer.
Slow acceptance in U.S.
The technology has been embraced in Europe, according to Navigant, but in the domestic car market "initial rollouts were met with a wave of consumer resistance. Manufacturers are now refining system performance to appeal to American drivers. Smoother and faster operation is key to gaining acceptance for stop-start systems in North America," according to the report.Including its automotive seating, interiors and battery businesses as well as its building controls and equipment division, Johnson Controls had more than $8.5 billion in sales in China last year. Total sales from China are projected to more than double by 2019, to $20 billion.
The country is such a significant part of Johnson Controls' growth strategy that it is building what it calls its "second corporate headquarters," scheduled to open in 2017, in Shanghai.
©2015 the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
