Illinois opens free vehicle emissions testing stations in Chicago
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency on Monday launched two mobile emissions testing vans as part of a program to make emissions testing more accessible to Chicago motorists and address a shortage of free testing stations in the city.
The testing vans, funded by the state’s motor vehicle fuel tax, are equipped with free onboard diagnostic tests that take about two minutes to complete. The new additions extend a program that began in 1986 with tailpipe tests and evolved to onboard diagnostics testing in 2008.
“There’s areas of environmental justice where residents might have more difficulties getting to a location,” Philip Millar, acting manager for the vehicle inspection maintenance division at the Illinois EPA, told StateScoop in an interview. “We’d like to be able to bring the mobile testing unit to one of those areas so that people can get their car tested with and it’s more convenient for them.”
The Federal Clean Air Act of 1970 requires that state emission testing facilities are located within 12 miles of motorists who need to get their vehicles tested.
Millar said the vans each have a scanning tool that can connect to vehicles’ diagnostic link connectors, usually located on the driver’s side compartment.
“We’re tapping into the vehicle’s computer and the car is able to tell us what, if anything, might be wrong with the vehicle without having to do any acceleration or connecting to the tailpipe or whatever,” Millar said. “The car will report back all the information that’s being requested of it. And the time it takes to get that information transferred from the scan tool is like, 45 seconds or so. There’s a result sheet that gets printed up which is why the test may take two and a half minutes or so.”
The work is in line with a statewide environmental initiative, aiming to reduce zero greenhouse gas emissions in the state by 2050.
Most 1996 and newer gasoline-powered passenger vehicles are subject to testing after they are four years old. In Illinois, odd-year vehicles are tested in odd years and even-year vehicles are tested in even years. An estimated 2.3 million vehicles are tested annually.
“If a vehicle does not comply with the test law, at the time their license plate expires, they won’t be able to renew their license plate until the vehicle has complied,” Millar said.
In 2016, the Illinois EPA shut down four state-run vehicle emissions testing facilities, including the last two in the Chicago, to reduce costs. In 2022, the state legislature passed a law requiring the agency to replace the dismantled vehicle emissions testing sites.
Millar said the agency also plans next month to launch four self-serve kiosks and high-capacity stations throughout Chicago, and additional mobile testing units, based on demand.
The state also recently launched a new, multilingual website, Illinois Air Team, to include Spanish, Polish, and Chinese options, designed to make it easier for motorists to obtain information and apply for exemptions, extensions and waivers.
The new website can also accommodate visually impaired users and Illinois drivers will be able to sign up for electronic notifications rather than receiving mailed postcards.
