Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin says the agency plans to eliminate start/stop technology in vehicles, as "everyone hates it."
"Start/stop technology: where your car dies at every red light so companies get a climate participation trophy," Zeldin said on X this week, with the post pulling in more than 8 million views, reports the New York Post on Wednesday.
"EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we're fixing it," Zeldin added.
The EPA does not mandate that automakers adopt stop-start technology for vehicles, but provides extra credits for fuel economy for companies that adopt the feature.
The feature was added to cars in recent years to kill internal combustion engines when they pull up to a red light, with proponents claiming the technology allows drivers to conserve fuel while cutting down on pollution.
But critics say the feature wears down car engines and batteries more quickly.
The "off-cycle CO2 reducing" technology stems from a federal rule that was proposed under then-President Barack Obama in 2012, but didn't come into effect for another five years, when new fuel economy standards aiming to reduce greenhouse as emissions kicked in.
The number of vehicles with the feature grew to 45% from just 1% between 2012 and 2021, and by 2023, up to 65% of new vehicles had the technology included.
According to past EPA estimates, the technology improves fuel economy by between 4% and 5%, but an EPA spokesperson said that the feature hasn't shown any clear reductions in emissions.
However, Battery Council International has reported that the systems have eliminated nearly 10 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year as of 2023.
If the EPA goes through with stopping the technology, automakers won't receive the credits to produce the feature in new automobile models.
Zeldin has targeted other tax incentives connected with the climate, including some from New York, as well as green grants the Biden administration offered as part of its push for renewable energy.
Zeldin, a former GOP House representative from New York, has accused Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul of ending the safe extraction of natural gas, stopping gas hookups on new building construction, and outlawing gas stoves while seeking to cut sales of gas-powered vehicles and blocking the construction of the new Constitution Pipeline.