What's the Problem In Georgia?

[paprius4030]

What's the problem in Georgia. I just caught the last part of a story on (I believe) ABC news. It sounded like the Prius had to FAIL some emmissions test in order to get tags for the car?? Not sure if this is correct but from what I heard it sounds like the Motor vehicle laws in Ga. are really scrwed up. Does anbody have the details?

[JimboK]

Apparently not a new problem, although with renewed publicity. See this PriusChat thread and this PriusOnline thread.

My take based on these threads is that they don't seem to know how to test the Prius with its ICE cutoff. Since the car doesn't pass the test (regardless of whether it's the car's fault), then they consider it failed and require the owner to cut through several more layers of (totally unnecessary) red tape.

[PaPrius]

Seems to be a combination of a failure of the testing equipment, and an inflexible bureaucracy. Pretty amusing, unless you live in Georgia.

PlateWire Blog

[qbee42]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimboK @ Apr 16 2007, 09:24 AM) [snapback]423925[/snapback]</div>

My take based on these threads is that they don't seem to know how to test the Prius with its ICE cutoff. Since the car doesn't pass the test (regardless of whether it's the car's fault), then they consider it failed and require the owner to cut through several more layers of (totally unnecessary) red tape.
[/b]

Yes, this is the problem. CNN.com has a video about it. Apparently the testing centers don't realize that you can put the Prius into an "always on" test mode that will force the ICE to run. They should read PC.

Tom

[paprius4030]

I read someplace else that was discussing this, that someone who run's one of these test centers replied that their center had no problem with the Prius they just tell the operator to put the defrost on to force the car to run. Ahhh a government person who has a brain...obviously overqualified LOL.

[iaowings]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(paprius4030 @ Apr 16 2007, 07:52 PM) [snapback]424305[/snapback]</div>

I read someplace else that was discussing this, that someone who run's one of these test centers replied that their center had no problem with the Prius they just tell the operator to put the defrost on to force the car to run. Ahhh a government person who has a brain...obviously overqualified LOL.
[/b]

Well if people knew that they could get their car to pass. Why is this not explained to the media so they can tell all the prius owners in that state or better yet make it part of the owners Manuel.

[hill]

Let's see . . . a ga-jillion more Prius's sold in CA than in any other state . . . & CA having the worst smog, yet CA will waive the hybrids through (both our Lexus 400h SUV as well as our Prius) the smog tests here in Ca . . . yet SOME states can't figure a waiver is the only reasonable thing to do? (shaking head) I'd be all over those legislators like flys on stink! OH ! ... I forgot! .... there's $$$ to be made by the smog inspection stations . . . say no more!

[mcbrunnhilde]

One of my sisters lives in Virginia, and she constantly rails at how screwed up things are there and the "we've always done it this way" mindset of the east coast (especially New England)...California is just more forward-thinking than other states.

[Bill Merchant]

GA? GAH!

To make Prius ICE run

- keep Parking brake on
- press and keep brake pedal on by left foot
- shift to D
- press accelerator pedal to start ICE by right foot
- shift to N during ICE running

Ken@Japan[/b]

[chogan]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mcbrunnhilde @ Apr 16 2007, 08:43 PM) [snapback]424357[/snapback]</div>

One of my sisters lives in Virginia, and she constantly rails at how screwed up things are there and the "we've always done it this way" mindset of the east coast (especially New England)...California is just more forward-thinking than other states.
[/b]

Well, I live in Virginia and I beg to differ. As far as I can tell, our dep't of motor vehicles runs just about flawlessly. My experience has been one of convenient locations, no lines, no unncessary rules, emissions tests performed by private garages with computer links to the DMV, multi-year registration, rational rules to verify insurance coverage status. If you're of a certain age, they don't even waste your time taking a new picture for the driver's licence every N years. Having suffered through motor vehicle registration and licensing in a few states, Virginia is the best I've experienced.

I don't doubt that some garages may have had trouble figuring out how to keep the car running for the test. But we all know how easy that is, we all have the sequence memorized, no doubt -- all you need to do is --

press start twice with your foot off the brake, floor accelerator pedal twice, put foot on brake, shift to neutral, floor accelerator pedal twice, shift back to park, floor accelerator pedal twice, put foot on brake, press start again --

and you're in the right mode, ready to go. Assuming you took no more than 60 seconds to do that. And timed the button presses correctly. Perfectly obvious, really.

When I read the prior threads on this, Georgia's response seemed pretty rational to me. Test centers were screwing up the test, so they issued automatic waivers to every Prius owner (consistent with their waivers for alternative fuel vehicles), but required owners to get a rejection first to start the paperwork trail for the waiver. That doesn't seem too dumb to me, but ... I guess I'm one of those east coast people with a screwed up mindset. Rather than modify the system temporarily for the Prius, they made the Prius fit into the existing rules.

Serious, I know it's a lot more fun to think that the people of Atlanta Georgia (where the emissions tests are required) are just a bunch of stupid rednecks, but in practice, I'd class this story more as infotainment than as news. Please don't let the your prejudices trump your common sense.