Autostop Eliminator Clean Air Act Compliance

This page summarizes the Clean Air Act (codified as 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) and how our Autostop Eliminator technology goes hand in hand with it. We discuss this Act in detail including the major regulatory requirements, air quality concerns, how the auto start/stop technology works, and how the Autostop Eliminator technology complies to all law-required regulations. Note that on this page we do not go into details of every aspect of this act, but rather just the areas that apply to transportation. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our technology and how it relates to the Clean Air Act, send us a message and an Autostop Eliminator expert will be in touch with you.

What is the Clean Air Act Compliance?

The Clean Air Act Compliance (CAA) is the primary federal law governing air pollution. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other organizations work to find ways to create a safer environment throughout the nation through the reduction of air pollution. Congress created this act as a way to protect the public’s health as well as their welfare from different types of air pollution including pollution caused by a diverse array of sources like:

Cars
Buses
Planes
Trucks
Trains
Power plants
Oil refineries
Industrial facilities
Factories
Agricultural areas
Cities
Wood burning fireplaces
Wind-blown dust
Wildfires
Volcanoes

History of the Clean Air Act

The Clean Air Act was first introduced and enforced in 1955, with major revisions to the act in 1970, 1977, and again in 1990. The precedent purpose of the act was to protect human health and the environment from emissions that pollute ambient or outdoor air. EPA established national standards to improve air quality control and gave the responsibility to each individual state to enforce these standards.

There have been 3 major provisions to the Clean Air Act which are:

Adopt specified transportation control measures

A 90% reduction in emissions was now required from new automobiles by 1975

Implement an oxygenated fuels program for all vehicles in the area

Oxygenated fuel enhances combustion and reduces exhaust emissions

Reduce definition of a major source of CO from emissions of 100 tons per year to 50 tons per year if stationary sources contribute significantly to the CO problem

To help achieve this new standard, the government extended deadlines for the attainment of air quality standards and added the Prevention of Significant Deterioration program to protect air more than national standards.

Furthermore, the cap-and-trade program was established for the emissions that control acid rain; a permit system was instilled for all major sources of air pollution; the final provision of the act addresses the prevention of pollution in the stratospheric ozone layer.

Major Regulatory Requirements

The following list of regulatory requirements was obtained from the Congress CRS Report.

Requires EPA to set health-based standards for ambient air quality
Sets deadlines for the achievement of those standards by state and local governments
Requires EPA to set national emission standards for large of ubiquitous sources of air pollution, including motor vehicles, power plants, and other industrial sources
Mandates emission controls for sources of 187 hazardous air pollutants
Establishes a cap-and-trade program to limit acid rain
Requires the prevention of significant deterioration of air quality in areas with clean air
Requires a program to restore visibility impaired by regional haze in national parks and wilderness areas
Implements the Montreal Protocol to phase out most ozone-depleting chemicals

Enforcing Compliance Strategy

As you can imagine, meeting the nation’s clean air standards is easier to establish than it is to effectively enforce. EPA has continuously improved and revised their compliance monitoring strategies and while the primary responsibility of enforcing the clean air standards lies with each individual state. The EPA monitors each State Implementation Plan (SIP) to ensure they meet each and every statutory requirement. Failure for states to comply with EPA risk receiving a temporary suspension of state funds. Areas that do not comply with this act are known as “non-attainment areas” and are required to implement EPA standards. If failed to do so, violators will be subject to penalties up to $45,268 per non compliant vehicle/engine, $4,527 per tampering event or sale of defeat device, and $45,268 per day for reporting and record keeping violations. The Clean Air Act 1990 amendments also require that non-attainment areas will be stripped of federal permits and/or financial assistance in all amendment areas that do not comply.

Title II of the Clean Air Act: Mobile Source Air Pollution

Air pollution mobile sources–referring to motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, commercial trucks and buses, etc., have required emission standards for automobiles since 1968, standardized by the Clean Air Act. The 1990 amendments substantially reinforced standards for cars, SUVs, minivans, most pick-up trucks, and other vehicles considered “light-duty”. Throughout the model years 1994-1996, Tier 1 standards including hydrocarbons were decreased by 40%, and nitrogen oxides by 50%.

The introduction of Tier 2 standards was introduced following model year 2004. Tier 2 standards required emission reductions of 77% to 95% from cars and light trucks. Tier 2 standards were phased in from 2004 to 2009, and to increase control over vehicle emissions, it was also required that there be more than a 90% reduction in the sulfur content of gasoline.

Then, in 2014 EPA established a 3rd Tier of standards which is being phased in throughout the model years 2017-2025. Tier 3 standards require a 70%-80% reduction in emissions regarding light-duty vehicles, as well as the selling of oxygenated gasoline in the worst CO nonattainment areas and “reformulated” gasoline (RFG) be sold in the nine worst ozone nonattainment areas including:

Los Angeles
San Diego
Houston
Baltimore
Philadelphia
New York
Harford
Chicago
Milwaukee

Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) Standards

In 2005, EPA modified the Energy Policy Act by removing the required oxygenates in RFG and instead increased amounts of renewable fuel, like ethanol. In 2007, the Energy Independence and Security Act invigorated renewable fuel requirements; the development of alternative fuels and cleaner engines was also enacted.

Between 1998 and 2001, in the most polluted ozone and CO nonattainment areas, centrally fueled fleets and light-duty trucks were required to purchase at least 30% clean-fuel vehicles when they add vehicles to existing fleets. This requirement increased from 30% to 50%, and finally to 70% in 2001. Clean-fuel vehicles are ones that meet Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) standards and operate on reformulated gas, ethanol, natural gas, reformulated diesel, liquefied petroleum gas, hydrogen, and/or electricity.

In addition to CAA’s specification listed above, the Clean Air Act also requires these standards to be applicable to any air pollutant from any class or classes of new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines.

Auto Start/Stop Feature

The auto restart technology feature that is often found on newer vehicles automatically shuts down the internal combustion engine when the vehicle comes to a complete stop, and then restarts the engine promptly after the gas pedal is pushed.

The Auto Start/Stop feature technology was first introduced on the six-cylinder Toyota Crown in 1974 as a response to the carbon monoxide emissions and fuel shortage/oil crisis of the 1970s. Auto Start/Stop technology was specifically designed to help reduce gas consumption starting with a 10% gas savings in traffic. The auto start/stop technology populated further into the 1980s and 90s, except under different product names depending on the auto brand.

At first the creators of this technology claimed that it reduced vehicle idling as well as emissions of CO2 which is the prime cause of global warming. Manufacturers continued to reevaluate and improve the technology and in 2010, Valeo introduced the second generation of start-stop engines.

How it works

An auto start/stop engine shuts down automatically upon braking to a full and complete stop. This shutdown is activated by the brake pedal being pushed. However, this only applies to automatic transmissions whereas in a manual transmission, because the final stop is done by a handbrake, the engine will not shut off. This advanced technology senses the position of the pistons in the vehicle’s cylinders, stopping the engine in a configuration

Auto Manufacturers with Auto Start Stop Technology:

Bentley
BMW
Citroen
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Ford
General Motors
Honda
Hyundai
Jaguar
Kia
Land Rover
Mahindra & Mahindra
Mazda
Nissan
Opel/Vauxhall
Perodua
Renault
Roewe
SAAB
Subaru
Suzuki
Tata
Toyota
Volkswagen
Volvo

To learn more about the Auto Start/Stop feature on a number of different vehicles, check out our blog page and read about What is an Automatic Shutoff, Auto Start Stop Delete, How The Auto Start/Stop Feature Works, Auto Start Stop - What is This Feature? Can You Permanently Disable Auto Start/Stop?

Autostop Eliminator Technology

The Autostop Eliminator is an intelligent plug & play device for your vehicle. The device remembers when you turn the auto start-stop feature off and works to retain your preference for this functionality, automatically. This device eliminates the need to manually disable auto start-stop feature after each ignition cycle.

How it works

The Autostop Eliminator technology is a small device that plugs into a vehicle’s electrical port. When this device is activated, it will override the automatic switching of the auto stop feature to ON at the startup of a vehicle. The user then can decide if they want the auto stop feature to remain on or off. Once a decision is made by the user, the device will remember the choice and continue with the choice until the user decides to choose the feature to be different. Unlike other technologies, the Autostop Eliminator doesn’t affect or change any of your vehicle’s programming. Nor does this device change the emissions output of a vehicle. However the vehicle emissions system & output was designed, will not change with this device. The Autostop Eliminator ONLY changes the automatic on feature on the vehicle’s auto stop system and provides the user the ability to either keep the auto stop feature on or off without the feature resetting after each ignition cycle. If the device is removed, the vehicle will go back to stock behavior.

Check out our FAQs page to learn more about how the Autostop Eliminator works on multiple different vehicles.

Autostop Eliminator vs the Clean Air Act

The Clean Air Act deals directly with the emissions and fuel aspect of air pollution. There are set laws and enforcements to ensure all standards are met throughout the nation. The Autostop Eliminator technology does not override any programming nor does it change the emissions output on the vehicle. It only overrides the switch from "auto on" to "user control". The Autostop Eliminator device is fully compliant with the Clean Air Act under the provisions of the EPA's Tampering Policy dated November 23rd, 2020

If you have further questions about how our products work with respect to emissions, contact us.

Disclaimer

Last updated February 26, 2024

The marketing terms provided by Autostop Eliminator on https://www.autostopeliminator.com/ are for marketing purposes based upon terms the general public uses to attract consumers to the site. All the information we provide is in lawfulness and good intentions. For example, the Autostop Eliminator technology doesn’t permanently disable the feature, but rather disables the feature until you decide to turn it back on. Any claims or marketing that says that the device will “disable” the auto stop system are only partially in context and for marketing purposes only.