Georgia emissions testing (boooo!)

[paprius4030]

I always thought that putting the car in defrost mode with max heat would make it idle all the time.

[hobbit]

"Guy" is full of shit. In neutral, the engine would idle until
it ran out of fuel or the hybrid battery could no longer supply
enough converted 12V power to keep the system up.
.
The A/C trick has been noted in other places, but it is much
more of a klunky process and may not work as desired in winter.
.
*Please* go as public as you can with this, and feel free to
use my page and your interactions to date as references. This
nonsense *HAS* to be solved ASAP and permanently.
.
_H*

[boulder_bum]

The idea that the Prius would even be subjected to an emissions test is a little asinine.

I'm glad I live in Colorado where the lawmakers exempt the Prius.

[hhoyal]

I was granted a waiver for my failed emissions tests. I am off the hook for this year. Some interesting notes in conclusion

* The part of the test that I supposedly failed (CO+CO2 reading) is not supposed to be a measurable of the test. There is no maximum allowed value for this that is supposed to be graded. So why does my test tell me that failed? I couldn't get an answer, but it could accurately be described as a glitch or bug in the software.

* They said that I am alone in reporting this type of failure. I'm the first they know of that failed for this reason. Personally, I have a sneaking suspicion that they will be getting some more calls in the next few weeks as more 2005 Prii are scheduled for their test. (Anyone Prius owner that passed the GA emissions test, I'd be interested to know what you scored for CO+CO2)

* According to the GA Clean Air Force, there is a big software upgrade due in the next couple of months that will address all of the GA testing problems for the Prius. I should have no problem with my test next year. Consider me a cynic.

[dogfriend]

I like to speculate about what is going on behind the scenes:

I would almost be willing to bet money that the original software for testing was written by a temporary contractor or possibly by a permanent employee who is no longer available.

No one in charge of the program knows how the software works or how to modify it.

Now they have hired a new temporary contractor to completely rewrite the software for next year.

And no one in charge of the program will know how the new software works or how to modify it.

And so on.

[GoCarGo]

123-456-7890

[Devil's Advocate]

Sounds like another example of Big Government bureaucracy run amok.

We have a similar test in NV and I had to test mt Prius when I moved out of CA. This was over a year ago and the tech (if you can call a guy with a dip in and bad teeth a tech) sat in the Prius and modulated the throttle for about a minute to keep the ICE running and the car passed fine first time. Don't remember what the reading were right now though.

[hill]

Originally Posted by Devil's Advocate

Sounds like another example of Big Government bureaucracy run amok.

We have a similar test in NV and I had to test mt Prius when I moved out of CA. This was over a year ago and the tech (if you can call a guy with a dip in and bad teeth a tech) sat in the Prius and modulated the throttle for about a minute to keep the ICE running and the car passed fine first time. Don't remember what the reading were right now though.

First Montana: What an irony that you can remove all smog devices off your biggest gas guzzlin' land yachts with no consequences, and even sell it the next day with no consequences ... even if it's new, or old. Nothing like the smell of raw gas, while driving with the windows open while in town.

Second CA: What an irony that in the state with the most cars, regardless of county, they would exempt all SULEV's from ANY smog tests (and even in 2010, they MAY extend this status).

I'd get on the phone, talk to your legislators, and let them know that such dumbness (in light of more rational states, and even less rational states) ought to be brought into the media spotlight. Maybe that would light a fire under them.

[KTPhil]

Originally Posted by hill

Second CA: What an irony that in the state with the most cars, regardless of county, they would exempt all SULEV's from ANY smog tests (and even in 2010, they MAY extend this status).

No, Cali is not doing this. ALL new cars are exempt for a period of time, not just hybrids. It is simply that hybrids have a longer exemption, based on two reasons:
1) Testing processes and equipment are not able to test hybrids yet. There is a lengthy testing and certification process the state must go through to validate and certify the new methods.
2) This is tolerated because hybrid emissions are so much lower that even if the system degrades, the impact to emissions will often still leave them compliant with standards for that year.

[hill]

Non SULEV cars in CA get to skip the first test (normally done every other year), so that puts the 1st test out to 4 years. And Toyota (as well as non-oem service places) allready succesfully test plenty of cars in many states. Yes, many ARE saying the test system needs to be dialed in better if/when CA starts testing SULEV's ~ however that doesn't negate tha fact that the legislators ARE considering longer exemptions for SULEV's. Even so, tho point was (getting lost) the Georgia folks CAN make a dif by putting their legislators to work on it.