‘Everyone Hates It’: EPA Chief Moves To Scrap Start-Stop Tech In New Cars
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin on Monday announced that he would eliminate the ‘climate-friendly’ start-stop technology in new vehicles. [emphasis, links added]
The technology automatically turns off a car when it has stopped, in order to save fuel and reduce emissions, and then starts it back up again when the driver releases the brake or hits the accelerator, according to Newsweek.
“Start/stop technology: where your car dies at every red light so companies get a climate participation trophy,” Zeldin posted on X.
“EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we’re fixing it.”
The feature was included in 65% of new cars in 2023, which marks a noticeable increase from the 9% that included the feature in 2016, per Axios. The feature can be turned off easily by hitting a button.
The EPA does not require cars to include the technology, but gives fuel benefits to carmakers that do.
See more here The Defender
Please Donate Below To Support Our Ongoing Work To Defend The Scientific Method
PRINCIPIA SCIENTIFIC INTERNATIONAL, legally registered in the UK as a company incorporated for charitable purposes. Head Office: 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX.
Trackback from your site.
Howdy
| #
The most serious issue for me with start/stop is the risk of crankshaft journal/bearing damage. The most critical time for an engine is startup, particularly in cold conditions where the oil is sluggish.
The crankshaft longevity absolutely depends on there being oil of the correct pressure and viscosity present Oh people will tell you that there is oil allready on the bearings, but that matters little. When an engine is running, the crankshaft journals are not supposed to make contact with the bearings at all, but be separated by an oil film. A cold start followed by immediate use of high power is particularly damaging, as is reving a cold engine hard, to warm it up. Drive soon after startup, but gently, at least for a few minutes.
Have you heard of driver sympathy? This is one area it applies to.
A second consideration is starter duty.
Reply
Tom
| #
I have often wondered about those very issues. You are correct.
Reply
Howdy
| #
Related video that recently appeared:
Reply
Tom
| #
This ridiculous technology has been around for almost 10 years. It is now on millions of vehicles. Now the EPA is going to fix it? This is no different that the FDA approving some deadly drug or vaccine (like mRNA) and 10 years later saying they are going to fix it. Government sucks all the way around.
Reply
Aaron
| #
government = useless idiots
all governments are terrorist organizations, legalized criminal gangs
Reply
VOWG
| #
Another farce that fixes nothing pushes costs unnecessarily high and damages engines. I wonder where real mechanics went?
Hyundai has this “option” on their Elantra Essential, meaning a basic car. Fortunately it can be turned off by the driver.
Reply