The United States has confirmed legislation that could see automatic stop-start technology ditched for new cars.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin, backed by President Donald Trump, announced that the USA will remove incentives for car manufacturers to offer stop-start systems.
The move was a personal mission for Zeldin, who previously declared that “everyone hates” the systems, which automatically turn off a car’s engine when it is stationary.
“As I traveled across all 50 states this past year, I heard from countless Americans who not only dislike the start-stop feature but passionately advocated for this mechanism to be a thing of the past,” explained Zeldin.
“Not only do many people find start-stop annoying, but it kills the battery of your car without any significant benefit to the environment. The Trump EPA is proudly fixing this stupid feature at Trump Speed.”
Emissions tech given the boot
The EPA has not specifically outlawed the use of automatic stop-start systems, but has changed the ‘Off-Cycle Credit’ applied for using them.
This allowed car manufacturers to claim reduced tailpipe emissions of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, by adding technology that was not necessarily reflected in the EPA’s fuel economy testing.
The EPA now states that Off-Cycle Credits only allowed manufacturers to meet ‘standards on paper’, while not ‘delivering real-world emission reductions or benefits to human health’.
Under previous government administrations, the EPA’s own analysis said the introduction of stop-start systems eliminated close to 10 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year in the United States.
Whether this leads to car manufacturers actually removing stop-start systems remains to be seen. Given how the same vehicles are sold across multiple markets, the ruling may not produce an immediate effect.
In particular, there should be no change to cars sold in the UK or Europe, meaning stop-start is here to stay locally.
Rolling back climate change regulations
The removal of Off-Cycle Credits is part of a wider rollback of climate change measures that were introduced under the presidencies of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
In particular, this included rescinding the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding. This Obama-era scientific ruling concluded that greenhouse gases were a risk to public health, justifying action taken by the US federal government to tackle emissions.
Removing this ruling opened the door to cutting regulations on greenhouse gas emissions, alongside a claim of saving Americans $1.3 billion in ‘red tape’.
“This Administration is taking a whole-of-government approach to make cars more affordable again. Whether it’s resetting mileage standards or abolishing an idiotic start-stop requirement that every driver hates, President Trump’s auto dream team is working overtime to lower costs and revitalise American manufacturing,” said US Department of Transportation secretary, Sean Duffy.
“I want to commend administrator Zeldin for his leadership and look forward to continuing to deliver results for the American people.”
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