U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said on Monday morning, May 12, that the “start-stop” function in vehicles will no longer be supported by the federal government. The EPA subsidizes the feature to reduce emissions from idling vehicles and save drivers gas.
“Start/stop technology: where your car dies at every red light so companies get a climate participation trophy,” Zeldin said in a post to X. “EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we’re fixing it.”
The EPA does not mandate start-stop technology. However, the agency does provide federal credits for equipping new vehicles with the technology. As of 2022, a 2023 EPA report said roughly 65% of passenger cars on the road were equipped with start-stop technology.
Is the feature unpopular?
A Google search of the feature will produce millions of results, some asking why people seem to dislike the feature, others from companies explaining how the feature works and even more results, like lists of new vehicles that don’t have the function, as well as advice on how to permanently disable the start-stop feature.
Most vehicles require the function to be turned off each time the engine is initially started.
More harm than good?
Since the integration of start-stop technology became more prevalent, discussions have ranged from the inconvenience of losing engine power to whether the increased cycling of the engine wears down parts earlier in the vehicle’s lifespan.
Proponents of the feature say that vehicle components like starters and alternators have been built with more robust parts to withstand the increased use. They do stress that having a well-maintained battery is an important factor in the technology properly functioning, as the vehicle’s electronics and any climate controls will run on battery power when the car is sitting still.
There have been anecdotal accounts from mechanics that, even with more robust components, vehicles equipped with start-stop technology do require those parts to be repaired earlier than vehicles without that function.
How have people responded since the announcement?
Reactions to Zeldin’s post on X were largely positive, with some referring to the function as “the paper straw of the road.”
“I’ve shut this off from day one. Only problem is there’s no way to permanently disable and have to shut it off after every startup,” a New York-based talk show host said in reaction to Zeldin’s comment.
Other commentors noted that the start-stop function can become a serious hindrance to driving, such as times when a car is waiting to turn left in a median. If the start-stop engages, cutting through oncoming traffic could be slowed, making the driver’s timing to turn through any incoming traffic delayed.
It’s not yet clear what actions the EPA plans to take in no longer supporting start-stop technology, nor what car companies may do in response to the announcement.
