Trump Administration eliminates the Most Annoying Car | Political News
The Trump administration is eliminating Obama-era off-cycle credit that incentivized automakers to set up computerized start-stop technology in automobiles, successfully killing what many drivers think about one of the most annoying options of newer fashions.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin highlighted the victory on Wednesday — building on the February repeal of the 2009 Endangerment Finding — while sharing a Wall Street Journal article highlighting drivers celebrating ‘the demise of the most hated characteristic in their automobiles.’
Zeldin mocked the technology as an Obama administration climate zealot “participation trophy.”
“The start/stop concept in vehicles is almost universally DESPISED. So, the Trump EPA has now REMOVED the ridiculous climate participation trophy the Obama Admin created to get this hated feature installed,” he wrote on X. “The incentives for manufacturers to make your car die at every red light and stop sign have now been ELIMINATED!”
The Journal experiences that a important share — 58 p.c — of new gasoline non-hybrid automobiles had these universally despised systems put in by 2024.
The start/stop idea in automobiles is sort of universally DESPISED. So, the Trump EPA has now REMOVED the ridiculous climate participation trophy the Obama Admin created to get this hated characteristic put in. The incentives for producers to make your car die at every crimson gentle… https://t.co/cToRBlsybr
— Lee Zeldin (@epaleezeldin) April 8, 2026
READ MORE: EPA’s Nuking of the ‘Endangerment Finding’ Is Another Death Knell to Obama-Biden Climate Boondoggle
The start-stop engine control is, fingers down, an abomination. We own an F-150, and to hear that factor shut down and then start back up at crimson lights brings disgrace to my household and me. Fellow drivers often level and snort as the air-con bogs down on a sizzling summer time day, and the vehicle ever so barely lags before shifting ahead after hitting the gasoline, needing a cut up second to start again.
It turns an icon of American pickup truck design into one thing one imagines David Hogg and his string-bean arms would design when conceptualizing a vehicle.
Good riddance.
The White House, very successfully, I’d add, captured what it’s like to drive one of these automobiles and stop at an intersection. Sometimes, I half count on to look in the rear-view mirror at a crimson gentle and see my salt-and-pepper hair flip blue.
Keeping cool while Making America Hot Again. 🏁
Auto start-stop is formally lifeless. pic.twitter.com/9th5fq6wwF
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 13, 2026
In October 2012, the Obama EPA finalized the “2017 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards” rule.
As half of that package deal, the company created “off-cycle credits” — a regulatory incentive that allowed automakers to earn compliance factors toward stricter GHG emissions requirements by putting in sure fuel-saving applied sciences. Automatic engine start-stop systems had been explicitly eligible for these credit.
Adoption by producers rose sharply after those credit kicked in, from less than 1% of new gasoline non-hybrid fashions in 2012 to the aforementioned 58% in 2024.
Never thoughts that real-world fuel financial savings proved modest and inconsistent at best — many research confirmed only marginal positive aspects in typical driving, particularly once pissed off house owners merely turned the system off or dealt with the annoying restarts.
In a 2011 White House press release, the administration touted the upcoming fuel economic system requirements, saying they need to “spur manufacturers to increasingly explore electric technologies such as start/stop, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles.”
They ought to have explored it, realized no person preferred it, and killed it with fire.
Fortunately, Zeldin and the EPA are doing just that. Figuratively, of course.
No more forcing gimmicks on the public under the guise of environmental advantage.
Editor’s Note: Do you get pleasure from RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we will continue to deliver you the fact.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
Stay up to date with the latest developments in politics! Our web site is your go-to source for cutting-edge political news, election updates, authorities insurance policies, political events, marketing campaign methods, and insights into laws. We update our content daily to guarantee you’ve access to the freshest data and analysis on voter rights, public opinion, political analysis, election outcomes, political debates, international relations, corruption, activism, and civic engagement.
Explore how these political trends are shaping the future! Visit us repeatedly for the most partaking and informative political content by clicking right here. Our fastidiously curated articles will keep you informed on grassroots actions, worldwide relations, coverage adjustments, and constitutional points.



