[pafoss]

Hi all,

I've been enjoying just lurking on this site for a couple weeks now--excellent opinions, stories, and information. Finally, I've registered and am posting for the first time.

So many folks rave about the incredible mpg, the comparably low emissions of greenhouse gases and pollution, and other great benefits of driving an excellent, green vehicle. But it's the little things that I appreciate about my super white '04 Prius. Say, for example, you pull up behind an <insert large polluting vehicle here> at a light just enjoying a ride to the market or to work or wherever. The light turns green . . .

Now you're suckin down a nice rich blend of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and other fun, healthy gases. Heaven forbid you're behind a black-smoke-outputting diesal truck or suv. If you've got asthma it's enough to make you wheezy. That was when I realized the ingenius of placing the recirc button right there on the steering wheel! What a concept!

Sure I love the nice Colorado mountain air like anyone else living in a beautiful state might, and try to keep the fresh air vents open most of the time. Now I pay a lot more attention to cars I pull up behind. When I see I'm coming up behind a good ol' boy in his pollutin' pickup ;-), I just tap my recirc button and breathe a whole lot easier.

Thanks, Toyota, for making that so easy for me! Like I said, it's the little things. Anyone else notice something small and seemingly insignificant that you really appreciate about your Prius?

Cheers,
Powers.

 

[melgish]

Yep, I nail that tab every time I get on the 417 and drive past where they're burning a forest to make room for houses...

 

[ElectricTroy]

Does Colorado have emissions inspections?

 

[Susan5s]

Yesterday on the highway my silver 04 and I passed a Hummer2 going up a hill at about 70 mph. As I went by him, I gave him what I thought was a withering look of disdain. He stepped on the gas (spilling yet another gallon of gas into the ether in the process) and eventually caught up with me. He looked curiously at me, probably trying to figure out how I got my comparatively small gas-sipping vehicle to actually operate on the road he obviously owned. (OK, I know, I've made huge, vast assumptions here and acted obnoxiously. I try not to make it a habit.)

A neighbor down the street owns not one but *two* Hummers. Every time we drive by that house, my 12 year old son yells out "AARGH! Gas guzzling beasts!"

So what are the non-obvious things I love about the Prius? Did anyone see The West Wing this week? The Josh Lyman character spoke about how people love the sense of superior smugness they get by owning this car. I have to admit he's absolutely right. A very mature and humble smugness, to be sure, but it's there nonetheless. :roll:

Susan
Trying to grow up just a little
Silver 04
15K miles
49 mpg this tank

 

[finman]

emissions...

Yes, Colorado has emission testing, last time I lived in Denver (4 years ago). I had an old Jeep that barely passed (had to adjust the carburetor several times to eek by) I'm not sure what the standards are now, but if your vehicle can pass the standard which was around at the time of your vehicle was new (for the Jeep, 1975), then you pass. Looking back, I can't believe the junk that came out the Jeep's exhaust! I call it selective evolution to get to the Prius. I've chosen to not pollute as much. I've evolved, even if just a little. I've also become much more attuned to what is happening to our environment, to our water, our air, etc. It's the Prius. It just changes you for the better. Still, it saddens me to see (and smell) the non-evolved, the non-caring, the demise-of-our-planet people and their non-evolved, non-caring, demise-of-our-planet vehicles.

 

[BIF]

Re: emissions...

Yes, Colorado has emission testing, last time I lived in Denver (4 years ago). I had an old Jeep that barely passed (had to adjust the carburetor several times to eek by) I'm not sure what the standards are now, but if your vehicle can pass the standard which was around at the time of your vehicle was new (for the Jeep, 1975), then you pass. Looking back, I can't believe the junk that came out the Jeep's exhaust! I call it selective evolution to get to the Prius. I've chosen to not pollute as much. I've evolved, even if just a little. I've also become much more attuned to what is happening to our environment, to our water, our air, etc. It's the Prius. It just changes you for the better. Still, it saddens me to see (and smell) the non-evolved, the non-caring, the demise-of-our-planet people and their non-evolved, non-caring, demise-of-our-planet vehicles.

We will be forced to evolve, probably sooner rather than later. I am already mentally prepared to go back to horseback riding, so I think I'm one step ahead. There's just no need to buy a horse yet, plus I have nowhere to put the ..er..horse "emissions." Heh! :roll:

As for the H2 drivers, I don't really hold anything against them. They will learn in time. Family finances have a way of bringing about change, though not always as quickly as some of us would like to see. Patience, my friends!

 

[milehighmiser]

Does Colorado have emissions inspections?

Yes it does. I also noticed that the state has specifically excluded hybrids from our HOV lanes.

 

[HiFi]

Colorado also excludes the Prius from the required emissions test that other cars need to get!

 

[mrv]

Does Colorado have emissions inspections?

Yes it does. I also noticed that the state has specifically excluded hybrids from our HOV lanes.

I doubt that hybrids are excluded from the HOV lanes. If you have the required number of people, you should be able to drive in the HOV lanes.

However, it's a US Federal/DOT regulation that the current hybrids do not qualify for solo HOV use, because they are not ILEV. (Basically, any car that uses gasoline cannot meet the ILEV standard.)

 

[wacko999]

Colorado also excludes the Prius from the required emissions test that other cars need to get!

Hybrids are NOT excluded from the HOV lanes in Colorado.

 

[coloradospringsprius]

Colorado also excludes the Prius from the required emissions test that other cars need to get!

El Paso County, where Colorado Springs is, has decided to end ALL vehicle emissions tests beginning in 2006. The story in the newspaper for which I work pointed out how much money this would save us lucky residents - $82 million - but somehow neglected to mention any possible costs associated with the increased pollution. :roll:

 

[hyperion]

When this was suggested in some parts of Texas it was pointed out that federal highway funds would be also removed. Maybe it is selfish but I believe your paper might find this as the reason El Paso county originally adopted the smog testing and it would be interesting to find out the dollar amount of federal funds which will be lost.

 

[billvon]

El Paso County, where Colorado Springs is, has decided to end ALL vehicle emissions tests beginning in 2006. The story in the newspaper for which I work pointed out how much money this would save us lucky residents - $82 million - but somehow neglected to mention any possible costs associated with the increased pollution. :roll:

I think you may be misunderstanding the idea behind "ending inspections."

The OBD-II protocol was introduced partly to ease emissions inspections requirements. Any modern car has a pretty sophisticated closed loop emissions control system. It can tell when its emissions get out of hand, when the system has failed, and can often even tell when it's _about_ to fail. About a year ago they concluded a test where in group 1, they did conventional emissions inspections and in group 2, they just plugged in a scanner and verified that the computer had not seen any emissions problems once a year. At the end of a few years they ran all the cars through emissions again. They saw very little difference between the two groups.

Consequently, in some areas, they are just using the scanner to verify that the emissions system works (and the brake lights etc) rather than do emissions testing. One example:

------------------------------------
Houston-Galveston and Dallas-Fort Worth Program areas

* Subject Vehicles: All 2-24 year old gasoline vehicles are subject to emissions testing.

* Test Method: MY 1996 and newer vehicles will be subject to On-board Diagnostic (OBD) testing, and MY 1995 and older vehicles will be subject to Acceleration Simulation Mode (ASM) testing.

* Test Fee: In the Houston-Galveston and DFW areas, not to exceed $27.00 for an ASM or an OBD emissions test plus $12.50 for the safety test, total of $39.50.
-----------------------------------

In other areas, they exempt new cars for two to five years, assuming that the car's on board diagnostics will get the owner to repair any problems on the car via idiot lights. There is talk of making certain years of cars permanently exempt i.e. assuming that the car will run cleanly unless it senses a failure, at which time the owner will get it fixed. There is also talk of doing the OBD-II communications via a wireless link; just drive through the inspection station and get a sticker on the way out.

So in a way the goal is eventually minimizing or ending emissions testing. That does not correlate with ending emissions limits - they just get enforced in a different way.