Chip Shortage: GM to Remove Stop-Start Tech From Trucks
Despite hearing murmurings that the semiconductor shortage is about to turn a corner, General Motors has recently decided to begin manufacturing full-size pickups without the sometimes obnoxious automatic stop-start feature (intended to improve fuel economy) as a way to cut back on chip usage.
While this saves many the trouble of having to manually deactivate the system each time they return to the vehicle, some will undoubtedly miss having it. Those traversing the countryside or racking up highway miles during their daily commute have little to gain from the feature. But testing has revealed that city dwellers constantly exposed to stop-and-go traffic actually have an excellent shot at lowering their fuel bill. The vehicles GM has selected can do without start-stop technologies reflects this, though the compensation it’s offering remains laughable.
Customers are being offered a measly fifty bucks off the sticker price of vehicles that have been stripped of the system, according to Automotive News:
The feature, which turns off the engine when the vehicle isn’t moving, will no longer be available on select models of the 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL and Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV SUVs. It will also be unavailable on certain light-duty Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups.
Only pickups and SUVs equipped with 5.3-liter and 6.2-liter V-8 engines and 10-speed transmissions built on or after June 7 will be impacted, GM said in a statement. GM did not disclose the affected volume.
“By taking this measure, it will enable us to continue production of our high-demand full-size SUV and pickups as the industry continues to rebound and strengthen,” GM said in a statement.
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 spent about $200 on each of my three late-model GM vehicles, to get rid of that stupid "feature". Stop-Start and keyless ignition should both go away.
Good - stop/start is one of the stupidest ideas to come along in awhile.
How about a complete facelift? I guess that won't help with the chip shortage.
Stop/Start = Skip Shift in my opinion. I still chuckle that a $7.00 hack disables a $???,???.00 device. I have a hack on my CTS-V that just plugs into the S/S solenoid on the transmission. No CEL and no skip-shift.