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Comment by klondike_ | Hacker News Reader

I suppose he got his wish considering newer cars automatically shut off the engine after idling for a few seconds, and turn it back on when you want to go.

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This feature is far from universal at this point. You'll find it on some higher-end cars, but that's about it.

I had no idea a modestly equipped Fiat Punto was a higher-end car :-)

Engine stop-start is pretty much universal on all new cars sold in Europe in recent years. Even entry-level models.

It's very rare here in the US. On my current Mazda, it's present only in non-US versions; in the US version, they took it out.

Stop-start cars are amazing when the battery/alternator starts getting a little dicky after a few years. Pull up to the lights, engine shuts down, and doesn't start back up. Genius.

Have you actually experienced this or are you just assuming it might happen in the future?

I have experienced this. Many manufacturers work in solutions to prevent the auto-shutoff if the charge isn't within correct margins, but when it doesn't go according to plan it is quite frustrating.

It's a very reasonable assumption for anyone who's been around cars for more than a decade of their lives. Electrical systems in most consumer-grade vehicles have rarely been able to exhibit the kind of reliability expected of most of the other nontrivial moving parts.

Yeah, if only there were a way to monitor battery voltage, and not engage the start/stop system if the electrical system has issues. That might cut down on the massive amounts of people complaining about the very scenario you mention.

The comment I made below:

> Many manufacturers work in solutions to prevent the auto-shutoff if the charge isn't within correct margins, but when it doesn't go according to plan it is quite frustrating.

I know it's not a massive number, but I have personally replaced about five regulators on cars that have had this exact problem now.

"Pull up to the lights, engine shuts down, and doesn't start back up. Genius."

In every car with stop-start I've ever driven, the stop-start system automatically disables if there is any question about the health of the battery (low state of charge, etc), if the vehicle is stopped on a steep incline, if the air conditioning is on, etc.

Besides, there is also a button to disable stop-start if you really had a problem with it.

I really dislike this at stoplights. It would be tolerable if there were a smart traffic grid and the cars could subscribe to get a notice at (45 seconds down to the multiple of shutdown interval duration div 2 and floored to seconds); of course if you did THAT street racing would use it as a starting line signal so it'll never happen.

Alternatively electrics only really turn all the way on when accelerating so something with at least an electric drive system is going to be the medium range solution.

Why do you dislike it? The latency introduced by an „unnecessary stop“ is absolutely negligible. A second at most. Most people will regularly take longer to realize the traffic light has turned green.

A second is huge when you're used to it being instantaneous.

As it‘s only relevant a very small fraction of stops, but has clear benefits, I don‘t see the problem.

Adding a second per car in line at a light is going to decrease the number of cars that can make it through quite a lot.

There are places with a lot of these cars already.

If you're driving in stop and go traffic in a city in the winter when it's below freezing, especially -20C (-4F).

Plus more than once I've had to watch my rear view mirror for someone about to slide into the back of my car. A second to get out of the way to too long in some situations. Sometimes just being able to quickly move 30cm is enough to prevent major damage and injury.

In such extraordinary situations you can simply switch off the auto-off-on function. But that's a 1% kind of situation.

From my Ford Focus' manual:

Note: The system only operates when the engine is warm and the outside temperature is between 0ºC (32ºF) and 30ºC (86ºF)

That's only a problem for automatic transmission cars.

Most people at the front of the queue of stopped cars, yes.

The person 20 cars behind, who is threatening to waste several more minutes of my time if the two of us don't get through the green light? Unlikely.

My car has this automatic shut off. Honestly, the time it takes me to move my foot from brake to gas under normal driving conditions is all it takes to start the engine.

For some reason this starting is WAY faster than the I Italia time the car on start. I’m guessing firmware loading more than engine starting reasons.

...and then they unfortunately enable changes to the operation of the vehicle causing them to emit absurd levels of pollutants.

One concern I have is my wife's subaru has an I mode and an S mode. I mode is supposed to be the fuel efficient mode, yet I have never gotten better mileage in I than S. It feels to me this mode must have something to do with smog/emissions rather than fuel economy.

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