Audrey Streb
Contributor
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving to ax credits for vehicles with start-stop technology.
Obama-era regulatory credits benefiting manufacturers for supplying vehicles with engines that automatically shut off when stopped to save gas will be rolled back, according to an EPA spokesperson. Though championed by environmentalists, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin critiqued the feature, writing that “everyone hates it.”
“Start/stop technology: where your car dies at every red light so companies get a climate participation trophy. EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we’re fixing it.” Zeldin wrote on X on Monday.
The office is moving to dissolve the fuel economy credits through the reconsideration of greenhouse gas rules announced on March 12 or a separate regulatory action.
“The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program is another example of a bureaucratic government program that does not improve air quality. Instead, it costs American businesses and manufacturing millions of dollars, hurting small businesses and the ability to achieve the American Dream,” Zeldin said in the press release, noting that the EPA is reconsidering the program. (RELATED: Trump EPA Reportedly Axing Obama-Era Greenhouse Gas Emissions Disclosure Rule)
The announcement also states that the program is “unlike every other mandatory information collection by EPA under the Clean Air Act” as it is not directly related to a “potential regulation nor developed with that intention.”
Though not mandated, the implementation of these stop-start credits has led to an influx of vehicles with the controversial feature.
In model year 2012, less than 1% of vehicles had the start-stop feature, while in 2021, that figure skyrocketed to 45%, according to the spokesperson. In model year 2022, new vehicles with the feature totaled 65%, according to Battery Council Organization statistics.
There is also some evidence that the stop-start feature can wear on the engine, unless manufacturers ensure otherwise.
“The higher number of stop-start cycles lead to increased engine wear unless steps are taken to prevent it,” Autocar, a UK automobile magazine states. “As a result, car manufacturers and component suppliers have taken many steps to ensure engine wear due to start-stop systems is minimal,” the publication continues.
The start-stop regulatory credits are found under 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 86.1869-12 and were granted by the EPA under the Obama administration in October 2012 as part of the “2017 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards” rule.
The EPA created a system to reward carmakers with credits for “off-cycle technologies” that cut down CO2 emissions, but don’t show up fully in emissions tests, according to the official. The stop-start credits are just one of many regulatory credit types created during 2012-2016 under 40 CFR 86.1869-12.
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Our Ford Escape Hybrid probably has it, and I don’t find it objectionable. But there’s lots of other computer crap that pisses me off.
Hybrids implement start/stop easily with no wear, because the engine start is off the high voltage high HP electric machine. Our hybrid Escape had it back in 2007.
The problem comes with ordinary engines using an ordinary PbA starter, necessarily coupled to a non-standard (except for Ford from 2017) dual clutch electronic transmission. Cannot start/ stop a normal hydraulic auto transmission except via a complicated ‘go to neutral’ mechanism.
What would reduce wear even more is an electric lube oil pump to ensure plenty of oil in the bearings. This would also extend the life of turbochargers by keeping the bearing temperature under control after the engine is shut off.
Hybrids also have an electric oil pump, so the engine bearings are receiving oil at full pressure on the first turn.
“There is also some evidence that the stop-start feature can wear on the engine”. Ya think??!? Most wear and tear is on start up.You have to reset the function every time you drive, infuriating.
A lot of people are unaware of what their engines are doing, but it drove me crazy, so I installed one of these.
https://www.autostopeliminator.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoo0fsTxLBtuE6ta3wdurxBOME19QMj50TkK1udoThLx3yLIb3-2
Works great.
Luckily, I have a Chinese ICE vehicle, designed by people who forgot to steal that particular annoying piece of IP – the “on at startup” part.
I did find it a little pointless, so I turned the function off – permanently. All the other stuff that people turn off, lanekeeping, traffic sign recognition, collision avoidance etc., I crank to the max. If I don’t hear the odd beep while I’m driving, the system has probably failed.
I rather like most, if not all, of the technology. Not sure about the utility of the LED lighting going through its 64 colour routine. I leave it on – it looks nice.
Some people are amused by pretty colours and spangly things !! 😉
If you did it to them, it would be called a hate crime.
I would get rid of a hell of a lot more than just this rule. My guess is that there are hundreds of crappy rules like this. Get rid of all of them.
Another “fix” to a non-problem mandated by the over regulating government irritating the commoners of the country. While you’re at it Lee, why don’t you get rid of the ethanol mandate. Much appreciated. Food should be grown for food not ICE fuel.
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As said here many times before, the original ethanol mandate had two good reasons, plus minimal food impact. NOTHING bad.
And the about 42% of US (‘dry weight’) corn going to ethanol returns 27% (dry weight) distillers grain, an ideal protein enhanced ruminant feed supplement. On my SW WI dairy farm, selling all corn for ethanol in return for distillers grain allowed us to plant more corn and less alfalfa, a net net economic gain.
Yes, my farm prof says the same.
Not sure of your point, Rud, except that you have a conflict of interest in the discussion. Ethanol is net negative to fuel system health, especially on the farm. I see my neighbors (here in ND) celebrate this gawdawful stuff because it adds to the top line. But, in the end, it is part of a cycle of destruction running through the community, ecology and the economy.
If added octane is the program’s goal — an assumption — then the RFS should have and should now mandate cellulosic ethanol. The RFS doesn’t because it is the offspring, illegitimate, of the corn lobby. It really is that simple.
MBTE ground-water contamination was root-caused by poor safety standards for underground storage tanks, not the stuff itself. Lots of nasty stuff is so stored, but doesn’t cause well-water issues. Why? Because safe handling is the expectation.
In steady state, what do you need subsidies/mandates for?
I need to get out more–Had no idea that this was even a thing!
I seem to recall that starting an automobile engine consumes as much fuel as idling for 90 seconds. That probably varies a little from car to car, but is generally true. In stop-start traffic the feature wastes fuel as well as wearing out the starter. If you know a good mechanic it can be disabled on most cars
I’ve seen a few different tests that determined it’s more like 7-10 seconds. Even if that’s the case, most stops aren’t much longer than that, and anecdotal stories say it cuts out when one stops in a turn lane, which can (and does) delay being able to get across the road ahead of incoming traffic and is unsafe as a result.
I rented a vehicle in Alabama 5 or 6 years ago that had this “feature” and having it turn off and thus turn off the A/C at every intersection in the summer was not pleasant. I only let it do it on the 1st drive before I dug into all the touchscreen menus and figuring out how to turn it off — there was no convenient button on the dashboard, but it was buried 3 menus deep in the touchscreens. After figuring that out, it became part of the “get in the car ritual” — turn the machine on, pull up the menus, turn off that “feature,” and only then start driving.
What a PITA. I read that the manufacturers thought about this issue (among many others), and devised a “solution” (expensive and unnecessary, of course): The evaporator coil in a start-stop car has about twice the (thermal) mass of a regular one. So it is supposed to stay cool quite a bit longer (while still blowing cold air at you) after the compressor is turned off. How well did that work? (I think I can guess the answer)
Mine turns off when coming to a full stop for more than about a second – so yes, that includes turn lanes.
One of my cars doesn’t have an option to disable it so I’ve taken to immediately lifting my foot a little to make it restart right away. I’ve seen a lot of people claiming that it restarts faster than they can move their foot to the gas pedal but in my experience there is always a delay. Enough that in an emergency where seconds count, it could be a problem.
My experience covers 3 different cars all 2018 or newer.
I have a simple Renault Clio and I can disable start-stop by pressing a button, which I do immediately on starting the engine. The car had to be in neutral (manual gearbox) with handbrake on before start-stop could happen. I hated it!
Good to know. I’m in the market for a bargain second hand Citroen C3 Aircross for the city and occasional long runs. Been fretting about Stop-Start – won’t buy unless it has a cut out switch.
google says:
Reduced fuel consumption:
Studies have shown that stop-start technology can improve fuel economy by 7.27% to 26.4%
Google says a lot of things. Quite a lot are not true.
Google has signed agreements with the UN to promote the UN Climate narrative.
Unless you spend most of your driving time at a complete stop, 7.27% seems unlikely. 26.4% is fantasy.
Save $100 in gas cost by replacing a starter for $1000; something only a liberal/progressive would love.
I wish they could just toss out every Obama era appointee, hire, and rule of law. He really turned this country towards a dark horizon by baffling the idiots on the left when he was elected.
“Start/stop technology: where your car dies at every red light so companies get a climate participation trophy. EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we’re fixing it.”
Zeldin’s framing of this issue is good persuasion. Nice.
I spent too much of my life driving crappy, old cars that never wanted to start. Whenever I stop at a light and the engine cuts out, it drives me crazy.
This is a smart move (they can leave the feature for the fossil fuel worriers but flip it to default:off. Also, carmakers could gain some goodwill by downloading the change to existing cars.
Hmm, on my car (Mazda CX5 in New Zealand) the engine will only cut off if I intentionally give the brake pedal an extra push once the car has stopped. If I was really annoyed by it there’s a switch that allows me to disable the feature. Consequently, I don’t have any great issue with this ‘feature’.
Is that different to how the fearure works in the USA (different requirements/regulations or something)?
Not so with my Subaru Outback in Australia. I have to disable the stop/start every time I start the car as I can’t stand the feature.
Most US cars have it default to ON every time you turn the key to start your car. Turning engine off is tied into the brake but no extra push is needed. Brake on + tires stop rolling= engine off. I used to travel a lot for work and had a lot of rentals do this so I’ve played with it a bit. Feathering the brake as you come to a stop may lead to the car staying on. Other then that you have to manually turn the feature off every single time you turn the key back on.
Ugh. It would wear thin pretty quickly if the engine stopped every time the car did. There are times when I will stop the engine by applying the extra push on the peddle – e.g. if I know I’m going to be sitting for a longish period of time.
I just turn the ignition key if I am stuck. Human choice prevails.
I have one car with a button I can disable it, on a “per trip” basis (i.e. every time I start it). I have another one with NO option to disable it.
This “feature” is one of the most ridiculous things ever installed in vehicles. When I was growing up and starting to drive, if someone’s car conked out at a light it meant that there was some sort of mechanical problem with the engine, fuel pump, spark plugs, gas contamination, etc. Not long ago I was driving a client in her car into Baltimore and as soon as we exited onto a city street the engine died. That was, initially, a huge “oh crap” moment….I thought for sure we were stuck there in that intersection. I told the lady I hoped she had roadside assistance, but suddenly the car started back up when I took my foot off the brake once the light changed. Talk about a total piss-off! I still have to drive her (and run errands in her car) and it was a happy day when I figured out how to disable that thing, Apparently on most cars you can disable it, but you have to do it every time you start the car. That’s one reason I have older vehicles. Who wants a car that you have to get in and start flipping switches like a pilot in a cockpit before he can take off? Not me!
My old BMW coup has just the right level of features, none of the dangerous “safety” features and no stop-start. Just a great tuneable N54 6-cyl biturbo.
From my perspective it’s too late. Let me explain. I was taught that it is a sin to use the Lord’s name in vain. My spouse has a ’21 Forester that has this “feature”. Since I am an infrequent driver of this vehicle I do not remember to turn it off. Because if that I am destined to go to hell as a result of using the Lord’s name in vain vociferously before I turn it off.
My beloved 2010 Mazda 6 refuses to wear out and becomes a more valuable personal possession with every passing year as more of these annoying junk features are loaded into new vehicles. And, it was built in America to boot.
Stop start technology is the stupid version of a hybrid.
Not really. In my car it saves very little gas. It does cause a 1/2 or 1 second delay when restarting so my 0-60 time is reduced but I never drive that hard anyways.
My old 2003 VY Commodore V8 developed a “start/stop” feature. 😉
Sold it cheap to a mechanic, who eventually fixed it by replacing the computer.
Two years ago I was on a long stretch of urban road with lights at each intersection. I had the Air Conditioner on and at each red light the engine shut down, then (apparently) recognizing the AC was running the engine came back on. I learned that “ stop-start ” can be disabled on my vehicle. Yours my differ.
Now, when I get in, I put my seatbelt on and turn the Stop-Start off. This is almost as automatic as breathing.
[in years past I would turn the car off if I expected 3+ minute wait]
A very small step into the right direction, an even bigger step and huge slap into all those ecotards faces would be abolishing adding “biofuels” to the gas and diesel we put into our vehicles.
And yes, I hate that start-stop BS. I deactivate it every time I start the dngine, not to mention that crap doubles your cist of battery replacement. But at roughly 20% sales tax here in Europe guess WHO’s interest is to have that kinda shit installed.
Disconnected SS on my new car because I was forgetting to push the ‘No SS’ button. Not only is it annoying, you worry if your car is really going to go and continue when you push the gas from the start.
Maybe things have changed, but it used to be explained that at start-up whatever petrol was in the cylinders was ejected through the exhaust and caused early degradation of catalytic converters. That aside from wear and tear on starter motor, battery, engine.