Dumb Question - what is "Fifty State Emissions"

It means that it is legal to drive in all 50 states according to each states laws regarding emissions. And it will be on every car sold for US consumption.

 

Rather than saying it will be "on' every car in the US, I think that it makes more sense to say that all US cars will meet the emissions in all 50 states.

Many other cars are shipped with normal emissions, or 'California Emissions", which on many cars models means some additional equipment or a tweaking to the car in order for it to meet the stricter emission requirements for California. Usually, this feature can sost more, but in the case of the efficient Prius, all of them will meet the strictest air standards, and are thus named : "50 State Emissions".

 

YOu are welcome, and yes, I agree that does make it confusing. For most other cars would make sense. As Jabber said, all US models will meet this requirement, and therefore will all have FE as an option (which does not add to the cost). While you may not see it as listed for all modes II-V, it is there.

 

Not exactly. It means the vehicles can be registered in all 50 states. A vehicle that doesn't meet California emissions standards can stiil be lawfully driven there, just not registered. There are no emissions testing roadblocks erected on the borders.

 

That's not exactly right either. A 49-state (or less) vehicle can be brought into California and lawfully registered there in certain cases. See Before Buying a Vehicle From Out of State—Be Sure You Can Register It in California (FFVR 29).

I had to bring in my 350Z and former 02 Nissan Maxima. I don't recall if all 02 Maximas and 04 350Zs were ALL 50 state emissions vehicles at the time. Also, back then, I was unaware of whether there were Cali/CARB spec versions w/lower emissions. (That is, I didn't know about fueleconomy.gov's pollution ratings.) Also, I had no choice anyways as I was moving back to CA from WA state w/vehicles purchased while I lived in WA.

 

Here are the listed exceptions:

Exceptions

As usual, there are a few exceptions included in the law. As a California resident or business you may be able to register a 49-State vehicle if you:

• Obtained it as part of a divorce or inheritance settlement.
• Purchased it to replace a vehicle stolen while you were using it out of state.
• Purchased it to replace a vehicle which was destroyed or made inoperative beyond reasonable repair while you were using it out of state.
• Were on active military duty outside California, and you registered the vehicle in the state of your last military service.

 

Another exception is if you buy a vehicle with more than 7,500 miles.