Hypermiling affecting emissions test

[herm]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

Logic tells me by saving ~45% on gas, I'm dumping up to 15-75 times the HC, and 15-35 times the NOx, of the average car. P&G is looking like a major loser.

How about not stopping the engine?.. let it idle while gliding then pulse. You probably should not P&G near a major city, but out in the country it should be fine.

The Sonata Hybrid does an automatic P&G on the hwy, shutting off the engine for nearly 1 minute.. somehow they have mastered the catalytic converter problem.

Most likely there is something wrong with the system.. perhaps a contaminated catalytic converter.. are you using any fuel additives?

[SentraSE-R]

No, I don't have any other emissions tests of my other cars. I did take my car back to the smog test station after my 900 mile RT to SoCal, and its HC levels are back to average, proving there's nothing wrong with my car. They wanted $50 to do the complete test with printout. I opted for a manual test that's not comparable, but it will have to do.

[CRT1]

I read this full thread over at Ecomodder last night with great interest. Sounds like Sentra fouled up his xB pretty bad and needed to burn of a lot of carbon build-up to get the system right again.

How are other intense FAS P&Gers doing on their emission tests? Sentra's experience is a valid data point, but we must have others out there as well?!

Here is MA we have required tailpipe tests at the purchase of the vehicle and every year thereafter, regardless of the age of the vehicle. I go in for my year 1 in Sept.

I am concerned because when I FAS my FIT, when I key-on it runs Open Loop for 2-3 seconds. This is generally when I want to get on the gas for a Pulse. If my pulse only lasts 5 seconds I am spending 40-50% of my time in Open Loop. It is really troublesome to key-on wait for the loop to close and then pulse, but I think that is what I may need to do. Grrrr.

[PaleMelanesian]

We don't have emissions tests in Texas, except the metro areas of DFW, Houston, Austin, San Antonio. Here in East TX we have marginal air quality, but it's from coal power and manufacturing, not from cars, so they don't test the cars. In other words, I don't know my emissions. I did just replace my cat when the old one developed a crack, so I do care about emissions.

[shadescape]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

We don't have emissions tests in Texas, except the metro areas of DFW, Houston, Austin, San Antonio. Here in East TX we have marginal air quality, but it's from coal power and manufacturing, not from cars, so they don't test the cars. In other words, I don't know my emissions. I did just replace my cat when the old one developed a crack, so I do care about emissions.

nice-

we don't have emission tests in Kansas either

[waltermlee]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

Well, thinking this over, I use ~56% of the gas the average xB owner does, but I spew out 3.5-15X the HCs, 3-7X the NOx, and up to 6X the CO of the average xB, when the cat is lit.. If I run the engine 50% as much as the average driver, but spew out 5X the pollution with the cat lit, I'm still polluting the air with 2.5X the pollution of the average.

Worse, I didn't light the cat significantly for 800 miles. If a cat is 50% efficient, I'm dumping out double the pollution when my cat is unlit. If a cat is 90% efficient, I'm dumping out ten times more pollution when my cat is unlit.

Logic tells me by saving ~45% on gas, I'm dumping up to 15-75 times the HC, and 15-35 times the NOx, of the average car. P&G is looking like a major loser.

The catalytic converter needs to be heated up to work efficiently. In the first few minutes when a gasoline engine is warming up from a cold start it is emitting its highest level of pollutants/ emissions because the catalytic converter has not warmed up to its optimal temperature. If you are FASing before the catalytic converter can get to its optimal operational temperature or if you are turning off the engine for too long and the temperature of the catalytic converter drops below its optimal range then you might be outputting more smog. The failed emission test may likely be caused by pollutant/residue from previous trips when this has occured.