Fantastic! Everyone is sick of stop-start engines so that companies could use accounting tricks to meet the Obama-Biden EPA regs! https://t.co/vttV5mcoSh
— Marc Morano (@ClimateDepot) May 12, 2025
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Newsweek: EPA Proposes Rollback of ‘Hated’ Feature in New Cars – 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.
Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is proposing a rollback of federal incentives that helped push automatic engine start-stop systems into millions of vehicles on U.S. roads.
Zeldin made the announcement via social media Monday, saying the feature was “where your car dies at every red light so companies get a climate participation trophy.” He added: “EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we’re fixing it.”
The Context
Automatic start-stop technology became popular in large part due to fuel economy and emissions regulations introduced during the Obama administration. Initially introduced by European carmakers in hybrid vehicles, over the past decade, it became common across many new models, including SUVs and pickup trucks. While it is not mandated in new cars, it has been widely adopted due to federal fuel standard incentives.
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Opposition to automatic start-stop systems has grown steadily, especially among drivers in hotter climates or those who experience inconsistent engine restarts. Common complaints include sluggish acceleration, disrupted air conditioning and concerns about wear and tear on starter motors.
Despite the backlash, most automakers continue to stand by the feature. In many vehicles, it’s programmed to default to “on” at every startup—meaning drivers have to manually disable it each time, if that option is even available. …
“I disabled this immediately using tuner software for my car. It’s super annoying. I especially hated how it defaulted to ‘on’ every time I restarted the car,” one user posted in response to Zeldin’s announcement on X.
Another replied: “Thank you! I despise it. Sure, you can turn it off—but just the idea of having it in a gas-powered car is ridiculous.”
