More and more cities and states in the Great Lakes region are testing for auto emissions in a new way: they’re asking the cars themselves. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Nora Flaherty reports:
Transcript
More and more cities and states in the Great Lakes region are testing for auto emissions in a new way: they’re asking the cars themselves. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Nora Flaherty reports:
In the past, emissions testing mostly involved looking at cars’ tailpipe exhaust. But experts say that testing using newer cars’ on-board diagnostic systems can be much more useful. That’s because these systems are always testing the car in all driving conditions. They monitor more systems in the car. And they can even alert drivers to a problem before testing, lighting up the “check engine” light on the dashboard. John Mooney is with the Environmental Protection Agency. He says that on-board diagnostic testing is becoming common throughout the country:
“At this point 11 states have programs up and running. We’re expecting nine more states to come online this year, and 13 more states to follow within the next couple of years. So we’re gonna see a lot more of these programs in the future.”
The cities of Chicago and Milwaukee already require onboard diagnostic testing. Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, New York and Ohio are scheduled to start statewide programs in the next two years.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Nora Flaherty.