There are people who believe that Trump “ended” ASS – the automatic stop-start system that afflicts just about every new vehicle currently on the market. More finely, they believe there was a federal requirement that compelled vehicle manufacturers to embed ASS in their vehicles.
But no such federal requirement ever existed. Accordingly, Trump did not “end” ASS – though he very much wants people to believe that he did.
Some do.
What Trump did do was eliminate a regulatory arcana that was part of the CAFE – Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) arcana that gave vehicle manufacturers “credit” for embedding ASS in their vehicles that could be applied to boost their overall “fleet average” MPG numbers, which determine whether they get socked with “gas guzzler” fines.
ASS also helped them comply with CO2 “emissions” regulations, since an engine that isn’t running doesn’t “emit” any CO2.
These regulations haven’t been ended, however. Which means they must still be complied with. ASS is one of the compliance technologies used to comply with the regs. Other, less obviously annoying examples of compliance technologies include direct injection, cylinder deactivation, 48 volt “mild hybrid” drivetrains and CVT automatic transmissions. It is unlikely any of the foregoing would exist absent compliance pressure.
The take home point is this: The federal government does not decree how compliance must be achieved. Only that compliance must be achieved.
Trump’s deliberate lie is that ASS has been embedded in almost all new vehicles because the federal government required ASS to be embedded. It is a lie because it isn’t true. What is true is that pressure applied by the federal government resulted in ASS being developed as a compliance technology – one specifically encouraged (but never required) by the federal regulatory regime.
For Trump to take credit for “ending” ASS is of a piece with him claiming there is “peace” in Gaza. Some believe that also.
The problem for such believers is that belief and reality are often incongruent. In the case of ASS and other such compliance technologies, the underlying compliance pressure has been relieved – slightly – but it has not been ended. Trump did temporarily prevent federal CAFE mandatory MPG minimums from nearly doubling to 50 MPG, as had been decreed by the federal regulatory apparat during the Biden era. He did abate the severity of the “gas guzzler” fines for noncompliance, too. But CAFE itself hasn’t been ended. It is still about 35 MPG – and for that reason, ASS and other compliance technologies will still be resorted to as means of compliance. 
Put another way, the regulatory regime (EPA) that enforces CAFE (and CO2) “emissions” rigmarole hasn’t been ended; it has been temporarily restrained. Unless this regime is ended, it will continue to exist and as long as it does exist it will have the latent potential to impose new and worse regulations that vehicle manufacturers will have to find ways to comply with. It is like a temporary reduction in the amount/percentage of our money we’re forced to hand over to the other three letter “agency” we’re all familiar with. So long as this agency has the power to force us to hand over our money, it has the latent power to force us to hand over more money.
The long and short is that ASS hasn’t been ended, so it’s not going away. Not until the pressure to comply is done away with.
. . .
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Republicans are just democrats in slow motion.
Robert Lewis Dabney, the great unreconstructed Southern theologian and teacher (and Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson’s Chief of Staff), saw 160+ years ago that the only thing Northern conservatism conserves is yesterday’s liberalism. The particular issue in the following essay was women’s suffrage, but Dr. Dabney explains that American conservatism eventually surrenders on every issue.
“It may be inferred again that the present movement for women’s rights will certainly prevail from the history of its only opponent: Northern conservatism. This is a party which never conserves anything. Its history has been that it demurs to each aggression of the progressive party, and aims to save its credit by a respectable amount of growling, but always acquiesces at last in the innovation. What was the resisted novelty of yesterday is today one of the accepted principles of conservatism; it is now conservative only in affecting to resist the next innovation, which will tomorrow be forced upon its timidity and will be succeeded by some third revolution; to be denounced and then adopted in its turn. American conservatism is merely the shadow that follows Radicalism as it moves forward towards perdition. It remains behind it, but never retards it, and always advances near its leader.
“Its impotency is not hard, indeed, to explain. It is worthless because it is the conservatism of expediency only, and not of sturdy principle. It intends to risk nothing serious for the sake of the truth, and has no idea of being guilty of the folly of martyrdom. It always when about to enter a protest very blandly informs the wild beast whose path it essays to stop, that its “bark is worse than its bite,” and that it only means to save its manners by enacting its decent role of resistance: The only practical purpose which it now serves in American politics is to give enough exercise to Radicalism to keep it “in wind,” and to prevent its becoming pursy and lazy, from having nothing to whip. No doubt, after a few years, when women’s suffrage shall have become an accomplished fact, conservatism will tacitly admit it into its creed, and thenceforward plume itself upon its wise firmness in opposing with similar weapons the extreme of baby suffrage; and when that too shall have been won, it will be heard declaring that the integrity of the American Constitution requires at least the refusal of suffrage to asses. There it will assume, with great dignity, its final position.”
You know what? No more elections.
From now on, every couple of horses were just going to draw names out of a hat.
The results can’t possibly be worse than what we’re getting now.
Eric,
This suggestion is not much better than a note in bottle and cast into the Ocean but since you are in the *Auto* industry, you are an articulate writer, and can describe the issue succinctly with brevity, how about writing Lee Zeldin directly and make the case for de-regulation? We get 3 more years with this administration, perhaps he might listen to you.
You’re joking, right? “how about writing Lee Zeldin directly and make the case for de-regulation? […] perhaps he might listen to you.”
I was just wondering, “what future does America have?” With two wings, same bird of prey.
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2026/01/paul-craig-roberts/2026-was-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-the-western-world/
…To, grovel?
~ via Webster:
intransitive verb:
1: to creep with the face to the ground
2a: to lie or creep with the body prostrate in token of subservience or abasement groveled at the feet of the king
3: to give oneself over to what is base or unworthy
I understand where you’re coming from on that. It’s a nice wish. I’m just gonna tell you flat out: it’s a hard, “No” on getting the response you hope for.
Plan accordingly, as best you can.
It’s tinkering at the fringes.
You’ll be fighting people in an open air black market to get 3 potatoes and a loaf of moldy bread for your weekly meal but at least the car you’re living in won’t have an auto start/stop when you get your 5 gallon annual gasoline ration.
Won’t it just be grand?
Gold is not deluded: $4,462.20 +132.60 (+3.06%)
Gold is the anti-Trump, thriving on his delusional chaos.
Gold is Trumpstein’s kryptonite.
‘Trump did not “end” ASS.’ — eric
Agency Action, not Regulation: The action is focused on removing the incentives (fuel economy credits) that encourage automakers to use start-stop systems, rather than an outright ban or a direct regulatory mandate for removal.
EPA and DOT Collaboration: The EPA, under Administrator Lee Zeldin, announced the intent to eliminate these incentives, calling the technology “hated” by drivers and minimally beneficial for carbon emissions in real-world scenarios.
Status: The proposed changes to CAFE standards and the elimination of stop-start credits are currently in the process of rulemaking as of late 2025. The administration is working through the formal process to implement these changes. — AI Overview
Zeldin’s ‘crats haven’t even written the new rule yet, much less published it for public comment. Maybe next summer; maybe next Christmas. But as Eric says, the focus is to eliminate incentives for it, not to ban a ‘hated’ technology.
As a matter of saaaaaaaafety, ASS should be banned from operating when the left turn signal is activated (see MH’s comment below). Turning left through a gap in traffic should not depend on the engine starting on the first kick. That ain’t saaaaaaafe.
I actually think that Trumps fiddling with EPA gas mileage rules will have the opposite effect and will force more hybrid and EV production down the road. This whole administration is one big smoke and mirrors charade.
I have heard that they are going to incude SUVs in regular passenger car gas mileage targets, which will make it tougher to comply with the mandates. It will eliminate that category and begin to favor station wagons, if people will buy them
Either way, we are screwed
That turning left thing happened to me a few times with a F150 5.0-V8, and it darn near got me tagged. it led me to find a permanent way to disable it vs push a button every trip. The solution was an easy paperclip.
The turn signal idea is a good one IF we have to still live with the crap.
Round about launching the same problem but no turn signal used. I had forgotten to hit the off button, engine ASS stopped right as I had an opening & like you almost got whacked.
Hmph, “The solution was an easy paperclip.”
I don’t spend anywhere near the time I used to in the city, but the time I do – looking back on it – the number of ASS-stoppers has just about gone to only encountering 1 for every six times in town. Maybe, lower?!
I wonder, is every 9-in-10 ASS owner doing this?
It almost makes me want to go to The Bigger city and drive around and see.
Almost.
Still, your simple mod is encouraging.
[But, that you DO That mod? Why ‘O why would you ever buy/rent/lease an ASS-car? Was it free? And, if so, why didn’t you trade it off?]
Also, thanks for making me like/love my older ASS-less vehicles more.
youtube can be your friend sometimes.
Obviously tons of F150’s out there, and someone figured it out, not me.
Ya just have to remove the ASS button on the dash (not difficult), and jump the button terminals.
The computer starts the car and then ‘looks’ to see if the button is/was pressed. Yup, no ASS….. yay!!!!!
IDK if it works on other cars as all of my other cars are FCA V8’s that don’t have ASS.
Perhaps the solution might be to require the EPA to do real world testing for fuel economy under real world conditions. That Kia Rio with the AC on in Death Valley can probably do it so shouldn’t your new Tesla be able to meet it with the AC on in the same test? Not a chance but lets make it obvious.
The next step will be the inevitable lawsuits over deceptive trade practices such as lying about the fuel economy you get. Hyundai found out and it’s time others find out what happens when you lie.
I have a better idea. How about getting rid of fuel economy testing altogether. Repeal the requirements. Let automotive journalists test fuel economy. Car and driver used to do a 200 mile loop or something like it. They still do 75 mph highway testing.
There are real-world sites where people input their cars gas mileage and their driving conditions.
Whenever gas goes over $3, people are more concerned about fuel economy than they othewise would be.
Ideally testing would be done privately by the private sector. Whether by journalists, UL or the public. For the moment we’re stuck with the current system and because we’re stuck with it shouldn’t we have real world testing done under real world conditions? While I drive with the windows open in the summer (my AC does work) most people roll their windows up with the AC on high, so shouldn’t that be part of the test? Myth Busters tested that a long time ago, but at only 45 MPH, and determined that using the AC might be more fuel efficient.
Hi Landru,
I agree. Vehicle manufacturers could tout the mileage of their offerings, as selling point. If the numbers are misleading, then it becomes a matter for the courts. The federal government has no business at all being involved in any of this.
My daily mover has an override button to disable the ASS (grandson calls it the imodium for the beamer). Without it, I’d have sold the car & found something older. Driving in stop n go traffic every day is miserable with it. As is stop signs, waiting to turn, etc.
Ditto. Mine forces me to turn it off every time I restart the car. It’s off by the end of the block.
It blows my mind that readers of EPautos bought ASS-cars. It blows my mind that ANYONE would buy them. You two just blow my mind, more-so.
I don’t even understand why you would keep it?
“Mine forces me to turn it off every time I restart the car. It’s off by the end of the block.”
IF my car “forced me” to do that, I’d fill it’s keister full of lead and send it packin’!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dGOfFbzvq4
I have to drive late model cars, but what I do is when I am buying I make sure if it has it or not, and then if it does if there is an easy ‘defeat’ for it. See me F150 fix above.
Also, if/when I get those customer surveys, I put ASS (and some other things) as a disgust issue.
“Welcome to the Ford annual customer satisfaction survey. Your suggestions will be ignored in the order they are received. Thank for being a valued customer.”