QOTD: How Much Do You Hate Stop-Start Technology?
One of my biggest pet peeves is the very existence of stop-start systems in modern vehicles. In theory, they’re intended to improve fuel economy by shutting down the engine while the car is stationary — when you’re effectively getting zero miles per gallon. In practice, they’re more of a nuisance than anything else. Every time I’m in a car that’s unfamiliar to me and the system shuts down the engine at a stop light, there is a fraction of a second where I assume something has gone terribly wrong and my stomach drops out of my body and onto the seat. Maybe I’ve just driven too many junkers but the sensation is always unsettling to a point where I have to deactivate the system to maintain peace of mind.
I am also fairly confident that repeatedly cycling your engine in stop-and-go traffic isn’t great for the crankshaft and a host of other components, even if the manufacturer is trying its utmost to mitigate the issue. But I’m aware that some people don’t mind their vehicle becoming a jittery, broken-feeling mess in an urban environment so long as it saves them some fuel in the long run. Unfortunately, that information hasn’t made me hate it any less.
What about you? Is stop-start technology the bane of your driving existence or a necessary evil in the war on emissions?
In a half-hearted attempt to play devil’s advocate, I can acknowledge that the system does help some larger engines fly beneath the EPA’s radar by improving fuel economy during city driving. You can also shut the system down (every single time you enter the vehicle) if you don’t want to deal with it.
It should also be said that the technology works far better on hybrid vehicles — thanks to a bigger battery and integrated electric motor. This results in a sensation that doesn’t feel like you are destroying the vehicle every time you ask it to resume operation. Likewise, more recent editions of stop-start technology are decidedly less obnoxious than their earlier counterparts. But I can’t name any since manufacturer who has gotten it so right that it would be forgivable on anything other than the laziest of Sunday drives.
As for the reliability aspect, automakers have upped their lubrication, hardware, and battery games to avoid disaster. However, how effective this will be when you’re asking the system to work overtime is still unclear. I’m skeptical of the durability of any motor that is asked to start up twenty times or more often every single day. There’s also the matter of how much fuel you’ll actually conserve. If your commute includes 30 minutes of gridlock, then you’re likely to notice savings at the pump. Otherwise, automatic stop-start seems rather unnecessary.
That won’t keep it from becoming ubiquitous, though. With automakers seeking to improve fleet-wide efficiency in order to keep regulators off their backs, there’s no way in hell this technology will vanish overnight. If it’s going to die, people will have to come out against it in droves — just like in my dream.
[Image: Ford Motor Co.]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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I experienced this first in a small rental Ford in the UK, as if coping with RHD and roundabouts wasn't enough pressure. Those jitters got very trying in heavy stop-go traffic. I agree with the feeling that the long term wear and tear to engine components must be considerable, more so if your daily commute always includes bouts of walking pace traffic.
Another high tec stupidity!