The EPA Has Set Its Sights on Stop-Start Technologies
Many new cars come with stop-start technology, which allows them to shut off the engine for short periods to conserve fuel while the vehicle is stopped. However, while it might improve fuel economy, stop-start can be annoying and doesn’t always work as expected. Some owners have complained, and the EPA Administrator is on board, saying the agency would address concerns with the technology.
The EPA estimated that 62 percent of vehicles from the 2023 model year have the technology. Earlier this year, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin posted on X/Twitter, saying that “everyone hates” the technology and promising that the EPA would be “fixing it.”
Stop-start improves fuel economy by about 10 percent in city driving, according to an Edmunds study from several years ago, but recent changes to emissions rules and penalties for noncompliance may eliminate the up to $30 per-vehicle credits from the federal government automakers have enjoyed to date.
Beyond the push to change the regulatory environment, consumers are making noise about the technology. A recent survey in the UK found that 27 percent of drivers deactivate the feature because it’s “actively annoying,” and most online retailers are packed with bypass devices that eliminate the need to deactivate the system every time the vehicle is started.
The EPA hasn’t detailed how it plans to change the technology, but it told Automotive News in a statement, “Stop/start technology is a feature in automobiles that frustrates millions of Americans. Please stay tuned for more information about how the EPA intends to address this issue.”
[Images: Ford, Soho A Studio via Shutterstock]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
More by Chris Teague
Comments
Join the conversation
I am not proud to say this but I now own a vehicle with this ridiculous start-stop Technology due to the terrible regulations of previous administrations manufacturers have been forced to incorporate this junk in almost every car! I turn it off every time I remember and I am seriously contemplating getting it rigged to be off by default. It certainly does nothing to improve or preserve reliability, which is a huge factor I consider when purchasing a vehicle. Not a fan at all, I hope the EPA mandates off by default at the very least!
I think it *can* work OK, on cars where the starter barely bumps the warme engine and it's running. But most I hear it in do that full several turns of the engine before it fires off just like on a cold engine, that would be frustratring to deal with.