Trump administration ends credit for start-stop systems

The Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday that manufacturers will no longer earn a credit for installing engines that automatically turn off when vehicles come to a complete stop and restart when drivers take their feet off the brake pedal. The start-stop feature is meant to save fuel and reduce emissions, but the Trump administration rejected the scientific finding the government used to support vehicle emission reduction regulations, making it possible to eliminate the credit.

Until the change, carmakers could be fined if vehicles with a model year of 2012 or later did not meet a greenhouse gas emissions standard, and start-stop credits could be used to help reach that limit. E.P.A. administrator Lee Zeldin said start-stop "kills vehicle batteries" and that he had heard from "countless Americans" who "passionately advocated" ending the feature; experts including Consumer Reports say battery damage is a misconception.

United States

epa, start-stop, credits, lee zeldin, trump administration, greenhouse gas, emissions standard, vehicle batteries, carmakers, consumer reports