Ontario I/M Program Tightens Standards

Cars and other light-duty vehicles requiring an Ontario Drive Clean emissions test must meet stricter emissions standards effective January 1, 2005. Emissions standards have being tightened by 11.5 per cent. They were previously tightened, also by 11.5 per cent, on January 1, 2003. According to Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, well-maintained vehicles should be able to pass the test under the new stricter standards, but vehicles that would now marginally pass a Drive Clean test may not pass under the current standard. The tighter standards were provided for in the original Drive Clean regulation, under the Environmental Protection Act. In 2002, the Ministry of the Environment affirmed its commitment to tightening the standards. The new standards apply only to light duty vehicles (those vehicles with a registered gross weight up to 4500 kilograms, including pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles, vans and passenger cars that are registered to addresses in Drive Clean’s light-duty vehicle program area — the southern Ontario smog zone which extends from Ottawa to Windsor. If a light-duty vehicle is tested in 2004 and retested in 2005, the new standards apply to the retest. The emissions test standards for heavy-duty diesel trucks and buses were tightened on April 1, 2004 and now are among the most stringent in North America . To determine the standards for a vehicle, a vehicle owner must know the Estimated Test Weight (ETW) of the vehicle. The ETW is based on factors such as vehicle size and engine, and is used to group similar vehicles with similar emission levels. If a vehicle has had a previous Drive Clean test, the ETW will be listed on the vehicle inspection report.