Unapproved software now results in an instant fail.
As anyone living in California with a tuner car will tell you, getting a clean smog test can be an enormous headache. Now, The Golden State is ratcheting up its emissions oversight with new rules that ban non-compliant ECU (Engine Control Unit) tweaks.
Per a California Air Resource Board (CARB) Executive Order, non-verified ECU changes will result in a failed smog test, regardless of the actual emissions coming out the tailpipe.
The new rules go into effect today, July 19th, 2021.
Prior to the rule change, a tuned ECU was not necessarily a one-way road to a failed smog test, assuming the emissions were within state guidelines. Now, however, even if there's nothing but perfume and roses coming out the other end, any unapproved non-factory ECU settings will kick back a fail, making vehicle registration that much more difficult.
However, as the saying goes, life finds a way, and enthusiasts will undoubtedly find a workaround - and indeed, many already have, simply plugging in an OEM-spec ECU before testing.
Additionally, the new CARB rules don't ban all ECU tunes outright, and still allow pre-approved tunes to pass, enabling tuners to continue to sell their services without drawing the ire of regulators.
Still, the new CARB rule change is the latest in what is perceived as government's attempt to single out enthusiasts. SEMA, for example, has proposed the RPM Act as a means of protecting those who choose to modify their street car for racing and track competition, an activity which, as SEMA puts it, is under threat from EPA regulation.
The veracity of SEMA's claim remains somewhat in doubt, but either way, it's almost a certainty that as time goes on, driving a modified street car is an activity that will become more difficult, rather than easier.
Ultra mega sad face