[jsolson]

> My car, for instance, turns off the engine when stopped, that can't be good for the engine and battery.

I understand the intuition behind this, but one could also see a place where starting the engine while it's still hot is better than idling (less wear, fewer opportunities for deposits to build up from wasted combustion), and where the impact to the battery is minimal as the hot engine makes it easier to turn over for the very few cycles it takes to get it going again.

[snovv_crash]

It isn't about heat, it is about the main crank bearing which is a fluid bearing that needs oil pressure to work. When your engine isn't running there isn't sufficient oil pressure so the first few revolutions are pretty tough on the engine. Hot is actually worse because the oil that is there is thinner and more likely to result in metal on metal. Engineering an ICE for an order of magnitude more starts is probably mostly upgrading the battery, starter motor, and main crank bearing.

[calvinmorrison]

they coat the cranks with a special polymer to help with start/stop and hybrid engines that undergo frequent cranking