Everyone who drives a car knows that vehicles have become much more technologically advanced, even in just the last decade or so.
Some of the added features now found on most new automobiles are almost universally popular, including things like backup cameras that make parking easier and help prevent tragic accidents, as well as CarPlay and Android Auto, which allow you to stream music from your phone right to your vehicle.
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Other features, however, are not as universally beloved. And, one of those features is now the target of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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EPA says no more to this feature
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin took to X this week, announcing the policy that the EPA would be changing about a controversial feature that has made its way into most new cars. His X post read:
“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.”
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Zeldin is referring to a feature that shuts off the engine when a vehicle is stopped, such as at red lights or in stalled traffic. It was intended to help improve fuel economy and reduce carbon emissions to help the climate. President Obama first proposed implementing the technology in 2012, but it was not until five years later that fuel economy standards changed, and it began to gain popularity.
The EPA does not currently require any carmakers to offer start/stop off-cycling technology. However, if automakers include it, they receive extra carbon credits. The EPA is now phasing out that rule, removing much of the incentive for car makers to incorporate the feature.
The technology was included in a shocking 65% of new vehicles in 2023, up from 45% in 2021. This is a very significant increase from the pre-credit days, when just 1% of all vehicles incorporated the start/stop option in 2012.
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Many drivers hate the feature, but advocates argue it has a positive impact
Many of the comments responding to Zeldin’s X post showcase driver distaste for this feature, with one of the top commenters suggesting that Zeldin go a step further than just altering EPA policy on the technology and instead send its creators to prison in El Salvador.
However, while some dislike the feature because it puts added stress on the car engine and battery, and others dislike it simply because it is annoying, there are arguably some benefits to the technology.
Although an EPA spokesperson told the NY Post that emissions tests had not revealed a clear reduction in carbon emissions because of start/stop technology, the Battery Council International reported that the feature had eliminated close to 10 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions as of 2023.
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The EPA had also estimated in the past that the start/stop technology could improve fuel economy by as much as 4% to 5%.
Some also argue that there is no reason not to continue encouraging the use of the technology, given that most vehicles contain an off/on button that allows users to disable it if they don’t like it. Still, many find it frustrating having to remember to hit that button every time they drive their vehicle, since in many car models, it resets each time you drive.
For now, though, the Trump Administration is focused on deregulation, and Zeldin has made clear that eliminating this particular EPA rule is going to be a priority.
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It remains to be seen if manufacturers will stop including start/stop once they are no longer incentivized to do so — but if past patterns hold up and the adoption of the technology reverts to the levels it was at before the EPA began encouraging its use, it will likely be much harder in the future to find a car where it is on offer.
