The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it is ending a set of credits for automakers that install automatic start-stop ignition systems, a policy shift announced by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin alongside President Donald Trump at the White House. Zeldin framed the technology as unpopular with drivers and said the incentive program is no longer in effect, calling start-stop the “Obama switch” and describing how it makes vehicles shut off at stops. The EPA also said the credits previously extended beyond start-stop systems to other vehicle features, including improved air conditioning systems.
In his remarks, Zeldin called start-stop “everyone hates,” and said the credits are now “over, done, finished.” He also said the technology makes cars “die” at red lights and stop signs, a description that he used to argue for removing the incentive. The EPA’s announcement fulfilled what Zeldin had promised earlier, including posts on social media describing start-stop as harmful to vehicle performance.
Zeldin repeated claims that start-stop systems — designed to reduce emissions and idling by shutting off an engine when a vehicle stops — are harmful to cars. He said Thursday that start-stop “kills the battery of your car without any significant benefit to the environment.” He has previously positioned the change as a way to “fix” start-stop, saying last year that the feature was approved by the agency and that companies should not receive “climate participation” incentives for it.
Automatic start-stop systems work by shutting down a vehicle’s engine when a driver comes to a complete stop and restarting the engine when the driver takes their foot off the brake pedal. The technology was developed in response to the 1970s oil crisis and is intended to cut idling, fuel consumption and emissions. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers, about two-thirds of vehicles now have start-stop, with fuel-economy savings ranging from 7% to 26% depending on driving conditions.
The EPA’s decision fits into a wider set of changes Trump administration officials have pursued to reduce federal incentives and regulations affecting vehicle emissions, including efforts tied to the scientific basis for greenhouse-gas rules. The announcement came as Zeldin and Trump also publicized a broader repeal of the scientific finding known as endangerment, which has served as a central basis for regulating U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Relatedly, the administration has also moved to eliminate a Biden-era target for half of all new vehicle sales in the U.S. to be electric by 2030, and signed legislation that ended federal tax credits for new and used electric vehicle purchases.
Automakers and industry groups responded to the EPA move in terms of deregulatory flexibility and customer choice. A Stellantis spokesperson said the company “remains supportive of a rational, achievable approach on fuel economy standards that preserves our customers’ freedom of choice.” A Ford Motor Co. statement said the company “appreciate[s] the work of President Trump and Administrator Zeldin to address the imbalance between current emissions standards and customer choice.” General Motors deferred comment to the auto industry group Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
John Bozzella, president of the alliance, said emissions regulations finalized in the previous administration remain “extremely challenging for automakers to achieve given the current marketplace demand for EVs.” He added that the auto industry in America remains focused on preserving vehicle choice for consumers, keeping the industry competitive, and staying on a long-term path of emissions reductions and cleaner vehicles.