This auto-shut off feature is brilliant actually.

There's a variant of the Ford Transit van that has it (I'm not sure if it's in production in the UK or not). When you stop at the lights, it kills the engine, BUT as soon as you touch the gas pedal again, the (special) starter motor drives the crankshaft while the driver is re-engaging the clutch. So for a short time (1 second maybe) the starter motor is hauling the van along.

Then the engine re-ignites and the exploding fossils take over again.

Very simple and very clever.

But since when did "White-van man" care about the environment? Never, that's when.