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Toyota Prius Fails Georgia Emissions Test

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by jkash, Apr 16, 2007.

  1. jkash

    jkash Member

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    Georgia flunks the Prius

    Toyota may be flying high in eco-friendliness with its Prius hybrid car, but Georgia emissions testing equipment doesn't see it that way. 2004 Toyota Prius hybrids are now being required to go through emissions testing to complete yearly registration procedures, but the each and every one fails the test.

    The emissions test requires that a probe be placed in the vehicle's exhaust pipe to measure the particulates emitted while the engine is at idle or the use of OBD-II to test 1996 and newer vehicles. The problem is that the Prius doesn't exactly "idle." When the Prius is "on" and at a standstill, the internal combustion engine (ICE) is stopped. If the ICE is not running at a constant idle speed, the emission test cannot complete and the vehicle fails.

    Owners must still pay the $25 testing fee for the aborted test even though all emissions tests centers across the state of Georgia know ahead of time that the vehicle will fail the test. Heather Abrams of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division says that the Prius must take the doomed test regardless so that the vehicle information can be put into the state's system. Owners must take their failed emissions certificate to a GCAF Waiver Center to get permission to receive a new tag or call in with the code number on the aborted test.

    Read more.
     
  2. tripp

    tripp Which it's a 'ybrid, ain't it?

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    Idiots! Glad I don't live there anymore.
     
  3. jkash

    jkash Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Apr 16 2007, 01:40 PM) [snapback]424253[/snapback]</div>
    CNN also had a story on this today. At least in California, we are excempt from smog checks for now.
     
  4. Earthling

    Earthling New Member

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    D'Oh! Georgia!


    Harry
     
  5. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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  6. pewd

    pewd Clarinet Dude

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    I saw that interview.

    Bureaucratic fools - blindly spouting forth the nonsense that they have to take the test - and showing absolutely no initiative to solve the issue.

    How about either 1) waiving the test completely and issue automatic waivers, or 2) finding a technical solution so that they can accurately measure what does indeed come out the tailpipe when the ICE is actually running.
     
  7. Tech_Guy

    Tech_Guy Class Clown

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jkash @ Apr 16 2007, 02:36 PM) [snapback]424250[/snapback]</div>
    Technically, the ICE is running at a constant idle speed at a standstill. It is 0 (zero)....

    Keith :unsure:
     
  8. skruse

    skruse Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tech_Guy @ Apr 16 2007, 03:21 PM) [snapback]424296[/snapback]</div>
    A lie repeated 1,000 times is still a lie. The ICE is "running" at 0 (zero) and should be recognized as such. This means in Georgia when a Prius comes to a stop sign or stop light, the ICE "dies" and has to be restarted.

    For Georgia: you buy them books and buy them books and all they do is eat the pages.

    And when our dogs do not eat, they must be dead and flunk the eating and defecation test, therefore they are not fit to live with us and we should no longer feed and take care of them. The people who designed and administer the Georgia emissions test need to move forward from the 1940s to 2007+.
     
  9. Hisamine

    Hisamine New Member

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    This is so annoyingly agrivating and yet funny. Thery're so stupid to not update their testing system and just give it a FAIL. I wonder if the GM "hybrid" pickup trucks that shut their engine off at a stoplight will also fail. If those pass then they obviously have something against the Prius, not that that would be surprising.

    - C
     
  10. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    Solution: Put the prius into neutral.
     
  11. daveleeprius

    daveleeprius Heh heh heh you think so?

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bob64 @ Apr 16 2007, 09:15 PM) [snapback]424381[/snapback]</div>
    You can't, the engine won't run at a constant 2500 rpm in neutral.

    Dave
     
  12. Texas911

    Texas911 Member

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    Ummm are they doing tailpipe testing on an OBDII equipped car? Is Georgia still in the stone ages?
     
  13. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Texas911 @ Apr 16 2007, 09:31 PM) [snapback]424455[/snapback]</div>
    Actually, they still do tailpipe testing in Calif . In the low smog areas, they just do tailpipe testing. In the higher smog areas, they run the vehicle on a dyno while doing the tailpipe test. They also do a visual test including testing the MIL (Check Engine) light.
     
  14. Bill Merchant

    Bill Merchant absit invidia

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    If you are so unfortunate to live in the benighted state of GA...

    Actually, I like Georgia. This is clearly just a scheme to penalize Prius owners by some redneck bureaucrats.
     
  15. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    hmm.. put the car into maintenance mode?
     
  16. Bill Merchant

    Bill Merchant absit invidia

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    Testing. You'd want to turn the car off after that.
     
  17. M. Oiseau

    M. Oiseau 6sigma this

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    Georgia:

    1. Set parking brake.

    2. Depress brake pedal with left foot.

    3. Select drive, D.

    4. Depress accelerator pedal with right foot to desired RPM.

    The only reason this won't work is if the SOC is nearing 80%. In that case, drive very gently in stealth for a few blocks and begin at step 1.
     
  18. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    georgia just wants the testing fees for all cars and has not found an elegant way of charging Prius owners yet. the "smog" test is nothing more than an excise fee added to tab cost that they couldn't do otherwise. im sure EVERY Prius will receive a waiver no questions asked, especially after the smog test fee is paid
     
  19. Jonnycat26

    Jonnycat26 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Apr 17 2007, 11:28 AM) [snapback]424637[/snapback]</div>

    I actually think this kinda funny. For all the talk that my fellow Prius owners like to toss around about how the Prius is no different than a regular car for most people and that you can just drive it, the moment a state DMV wants to treat it like a regular car, everyone cries out about how their car is 'special'.

    Lot of hypocrites here. :) :rolleyes:
     
  20. Tempus

    Tempus Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26 @ Apr 17 2007, 11:44 AM) [snapback]424648[/snapback]</div>
    Good Lord Jonny. This doesn't even rise to your usual baiting standards, which have been sinking pretty low lately.

    Comparing a bureaucratic boondoggle to a car's propulsion technology.

    I prefer to mock the clueless Georgia Bureaucracy, since they can't even figure it out after 3 years :)

    Other Georgia Inspection Stories:

    "See, it says right here in the instructions to put the Rear Wheels on the Drum. I never heard of this Front Wheel Drive nonsense. Yes, your car failed inspection and it's not our fault it ran into the Garage Wall when we gunned it.!"

    "Sir, we had to give up trying to emissions test your Mule. After the third time trying to get the probe in his tailpipe we ran out of bandages for the techs. No one wanted to be the one to put the failure sticker on him so here it is."

    Even DC where I live has figured it out and they usually take the cake for clueless. In fact, they don't even have to have the car running to test it. They have these fancy new-fangled things called computers that pull all the data right out of the car. It's downright amazing if you ask me but it may take a while to catch on in the hinterlands.