The last Mercedes-Benz AMG model I drove was the CLS63 AMG. It had a 5.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V8, 550 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. Oh, and it also had a standard stop-start system and an Eco mode, two features that are kind of silly on a sedan that will hit 60 miles per hour in under four seconds.
Yet, the CLS63 AMG is far from the only AMG model (and in turn, the Mercedes-Benz model) to feature a stop-start system, and it's that dogged obsession with the fuel-saving technology that's earned Mercedes a credit on the EPA's fuel-economy standards. These so-called "off cycle" credits are awarded when manufacturers might come up with an efficiency improvement that doesn't necessarily show up in the EPA's testing cycle.
The credits are a big deal for Mercedes-Benz which, according to Automotive News, shelled out $349 million for missing government fuel economy standards last year. While the German manufacturer was awarded credits for its use of stop-start, the total credits were lower than requested, AN reports. That's because the EPA was unsure of how often the system would be used in the real world, a long-standing problem.
Mercedes could still get its way, though, as the EPA has requested additional data on the systems. "There is a real savings here, and we have been able to definitively prove it," Daimler AG's manager of regulatory affairs, William Craven, told AN.
Yet, the CLS63 AMG is far from the only AMG model (and in turn, the Mercedes-Benz model) to feature a stop-start system, and it's that dogged obsession with the fuel-saving technology that's earned Mercedes a credit on the EPA's fuel-economy standards. These so-called "off cycle" credits are awarded when manufacturers might come up with an efficiency improvement that doesn't necessarily show up in the EPA's testing cycle.
The credits are a big deal for Mercedes-Benz which, according to Automotive News, shelled out $349 million for missing government fuel economy standards last year. While the German manufacturer was awarded credits for its use of stop-start, the total credits were lower than requested, AN reports. That's because the EPA was unsure of how often the system would be used in the real world, a long-standing problem.
Mercedes could still get its way, though, as the EPA has requested additional data on the systems. "There is a real savings here, and we have been able to definitively prove it," Daimler AG's manager of regulatory affairs, William Craven, told AN.
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