California New Smog Law Starting Next Year!

[Blue-Civic-Hybrid]

Makes me want to register my car in Arizona or somewhere else... but then I would have to move...

[Kenpo]

Originally Posted by jeff652

I heard over a year ago this was coming. Diesels first (now getting tested) and Hybrids second . . .

Yup diesels are already getting smogged here. They just don't put the sniffer on the tail pipe or they will fail.

[Eli]

I guess I don't find this surprising or a big deal. It's always been like this in Oregon, and many other states. The fee here is $22.

[JohnVirginia]

The fee in Va (where required) is $28 every two years. All via visual inspection and hooking up a direct reporting system to the OBDII.

Now if they truly measured "pollution" (sniffed the tail pipe or other direct test) I would not have a concern. When they fail you based on a light on the dash (i.e., IMA/CEL - weaken battery) regardless, well....

The implementation, at least in Va, is geographically piecemeal, usually on a county, town or city basis. I live in a county which has a "denser" northern population. The souther.......nnnn part of the county is much less dense, yet the whole county is subject to the emission requirement. Two miles away due west is a town, closer to the high volume I95 corridor (where you might expect higher concentrations of pollution if an air test were run) and guess what...no emissions requirement. None of the other bordering counties further south have a requirement either.

The only thing I can think was the logic of who does and who does not was based on ease for the state to tag cars based on the county/city of registration (where it is parked which is directly stated on the registration card sent with the license plate). A typical bureaucratic implementation.

Trucks over 10000 GVW with "truck" license are exempt. They just charge you more for the truck license!

[JohnVirginia]

Well I obviously forgot how (or never knew) how to edit.

The test several years ago involved installing a very expensive system like a dyno and a tail pipe sniff. Very few repair shops would invest the $50K to install (pay back too long).

I've concluded much of it is a political way of rolling out a stimulus package for auto repair businesses (long before our big one of 200 in the name of a good cause (cut down on polluting our planet). A win-win situation, right?

[Relic]

Hybrid tax since you are not paying enough gas taxes.

[gjenn12]

Get used to it this is just the tip of the taxberg more will come if it is up to the people in the state and Washington politics

[kaypee171]

It's too bad that Californians have to pay this fee, but hey, someone's gotta pay for the various green policies the state has enacted. Granted, a lot of the Insight owners on here didn't buy them new, but their cars got a big tax credit when new. Now you're paying for it.

[TopFuelTim]

In Georgia Insights are treated as just another car. No biggie. We have to pass emissions every year before we can buy our tag because where I live is considered metro Atlanta. Counties to the north don't require emissions yet.

I don't like the idea of an IMA light causing it to fail the emissions test, but then again, I wouldn't want to drive without the battery anyway.

My 0.02 worth,
Tim Glover

[madmanmostafa]

Crap. I had no intention to replace my battery any time soon. This may push me into having to buy something. I actually like driving without a battery. The only thing I miss is regenerative braking and autostop. The car is quick enough even without assist for my needs.