The big picture: The EPA doesn’t mandate stop-start technology, but it provides extra fuel economy credits to automakers that adopt it.
BREAKING: @epaleezeldin just announced they will be eliminating the EPA regulations around the most hated vehicle feature ever made: stop/start technology
Mine doesn’t do that. I used a bit of “free choice” when I bought it.
I hate that “feature.” I love the rest of my car, but that feature annoys the hell out of me. I turn it off every time. They should not get rid of the regulation. They should change it so that it defaults to “off” for all cars. It’s a software change that could be downloaded into existing cars.
I did a test with it when I bought the car. I went 3000 miles with it on. I saved about 1.5 gallons of gas. That means that over 100,000 miles I would save about 50 gallons of gas. All that technology, just to save 50 gallons of gas over the depreciation life of the car. Stupid. Not just stupid, but liberal stupid.
The Start/Stop on my 2017 Ford F150 has already been deactivated courtesy of HP Tuner.
I have a list of hated requirements/technologies:
Daytime Running Lights you cannot turn off (GM did that for a number of years)
Integrated OnStar and similar
CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission)
Turbo-4 replacing six cylinder as the standard base engine
Safety regs replacing a front bench seat with a ridiculously oversized central console
Combining complex electrical systems together, so if one goes, there is more collateral damage 9entertainment system, drl, HVAC)
Digital displays for speedometer, etc.
The removal of alternator gauges
I HATE that feature. My whole life I have always driven old beaters. And when a vehicle I’ve owned stalls it usually means I have to tow it, or just abandon it....
I had never heard of such a stupid thing until I moved to Germany and the company provided a car for me that had that stupid feature. I thought I broke down in the middle of busy Berlin traffic. I put on the blinkers got out and figured the brand new diesel passat was broken down. WTF kind of stupid feature is that? Even when I borrow a friend’s car that has that feature I still panic when it stalls at stops. And what happens when the battery dies??? You’re STUCK in the middle of an intersection rather then the relative safety of a parking lot.
It is a stupid feature. After every start then the engine has to work to recharge the battery. That uses fuel.
The trans shifter that looks and acts like an oversized radio knob. Had a rental with that once... Once. Don’t think I could ever get used to that.
engine control has always been a fundamental aspect of hybrid automobiles ... for example, toyota has been making the Prius for almost 30 years now and there doesn’t seem to be any particular problems with the way their Prius ICE engine is operated ...
Scotty Kilmer agrees:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdhzUubonVE
Personally, I own a 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid and the only way i can tell whether the ICE engine is one or off is by looking at the power flow screen ...
apparently, though manufacturers do recommend special engine oils for hybrids, which i think are more hygroscopic than regular engine oils, and all the major engine oil manufacturers make said special oils that meet manufacturers’ specs ...
Doesn’t bother me in the least on my VW, but they did a great job with it and it’s barely noticeable. I have been in some cars though where it sucks.