Overview
- Announced at the White House by President Donald Trump and Administrator Lee Zeldin on February 12, the rule ends credits for technologies such as automatic start‑stop and improved air‑conditioning systems.
- Start‑stop remains legal, but without federal incentives automakers are expected to change default settings, make the feature optional, or phase it out over time rather than remove it immediately.
- The action also rescinds the 2009 Endangerment Finding, undermining the legal basis used to regulate U.S. greenhouse‑gas emissions from vehicles and other sources.
- Independent testing by SAE, AAA and Edmunds reports fuel‑economy gains from start‑stop of roughly 7% to as high as 26% in heavy stop‑and‑go conditions.
- The administration projects consumer savings of about $2,400 per new vehicle and $1.3 trillion in aggregate; environmental groups plan court challenges, and major automakers and industry groups voiced support for the rollback.