Nov29
ATLANTA -- Conservation-minded drivers of the low-polluting Toyota Prius often struggle with a glitch as they bring the car in for emissions tests, which are required in the Atlanta area.
Early this year, state officials discovered a problem with Toyota's 2004 Prius, a hybrid car that uses a small gasoline engine to supplement electric power.
Typically, the emissions analyzer plugs into a car's onboard diagnostics module, downloading the engine's emissions history. But the software used for the test is incompatible with the Prius, said Tim Smith, the program manager for the vehicle emissions and inspection program at the state Department of Natural Resources.
In theory, testers can work around the problem by capturing tailpipe exhaust with what is called the two-speed idle test. But the Prius trips up the test because idling causes the gasoline engine to shut down, leading the test to abort and fail.
State officials said they hope to have the problem resolved by next year, when many more Prius cars will become eligible for testing. Officials have developed a 10-step procedure meant to work around the problem.
"We are concerned about this becoming a larger problem," Smith said. "We expect a lot more of these vehicles to show up at these stations."
Emissions tests, costing $10 to $25, are required every year to renew tags for cars and light trucks registered in the 13-county metro Atlanta area. New cars have a three-year exemption from testing.
Prius driver Scott Merritt has experienced the problem firsthand.
"I spent a total of three full days getting this resolved," said Merritt, 34, a public relations executive. "I went to three different places, and nobody was able to do the test."
In the end, Smith helped Merritt get an emissions waiver, which allowed him to apply for his Georgia tag.
In addition to his own time, Merritt estimates he put an extra 60 miles on his car trying to resolve the problem.
"There is no reason a Prius should fail this test," he said. "And there is sure as heck no reason that I should have to go three separate places to get a test."
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All rights
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