Meet John German: the man who helped expose Volkswagen's emissions scandal

The Guardian ^ | 9-26-2015 | Rupert Neate

[Citizen Zed]

John German has barely had time to catch his breath all week between appearances on TV news channel and radio phone-in shows. He’s an unlikely media star, not a pop singer or reality TV contestant, but a grey-haired automotive engineer thrust into the global spotlight after he and his colleagues were credited with helping uncover one of the biggest ever corporate scandals.

“We really didn’t expect to find anything,” German said of his research that found Volkswagen had installed sophisticated software designed to cheat strict emission tests across the world. His simple test – checking the car’s emissions on real roads rather than in lab test conditions – led to the resignation of VW’s chief executive after the German company was forced to admit it installed “defeat devices” in 11m cars. The scandal has wiped more than €24bn ($26.8bn) off VW’s market value.

Many questions remain but one thing is clear to German: “It was not an accident,” he said. “A lot of work has gone into this.”

When German finally found a moment of peace this week he called his wife in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “She said: ‘You know you’ve made it now, you can retire and be very happy’,” German told the Guardian as he prepared to board a plane back to Michigan after a week in the spotlight in Washington DC. “No, no, no, I can’t afford to yet,” German told his disappointed wife.

He may have helped uncover one of the world’s biggest corporate scandals, but German earns a modest salary as US co-lead of the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) a small nonprofit organisation dedicated to helping to reduce vehicle emissions and has an annual budget of just $12m.

[Citizen Zed]

It is time to challenge Tesla in the same way. Science would show the is no such thing as a "clean" car.

[proxy_user]

They failed to say the ‘ironically-named’ John German.

[cuban leaf]

Like.

[Jonty30]

There is no such thing as a non-polluting car, but the exhaust thus gave off was probably 1/50th of what it would have given off in the 70’s, with even less in the future.

[AdaGray]

*ping*

[cuban leaf]

So I’ve missed my opportunity to buy a new VW Diesel that actually has good performance and mileage? Dang it!

BTW, I live in a state (KY) with no emissions testing. :-)

[NewCenturions]

Volkswagen failed to contribute enough to some liberal dem and thus this “big scandal” (yawn!) came out

[Jonty30]

It certainly isn’t clean when they have to replace the battery.

[Mechanicos]

close... they voted down the UAW...

[telstar12.5]

(yet)

your state Ozone compliant with the new specs coming?

[alloysteel]

Iron John?

That aside, the “People’s Car” has come nearly full circle. Originally created as a bait-and-switch of the Third Reich, Hitler graciously took down payments on the promised automobile “for the common folk”, but failed to deliver more than a very few before the Second World War came crashing down upon the world. The Volkswagen plant at Wolfsburg was mostly a smoldering ruin when it was rescued and a plan put into operation to get German industry up and running, with Marshall Plan dollars. Always a joint state-owned and some private capital enterprise, the revitalized and ubiquitous “Beetle” began to put first Germany, then all of Europe, back on wheels, even penetrating the US market to great effect. Surpassing in popularity even Ford’s Model T, and with an even longer production run, the descendants of the original prewar “Beetle” created VAST revenue for the German State of Lower Saxony and Wolfsburg, the original beneficiaries of the investment by the Third Reich.

Volkswagen is STILL a partially state-funded and owned enterprise, not an unusual business arrangement in most European countries, but one that was always regarded as anathema in the United States (until, of course, General Motors became Government Motors). That the various governments now come crashing down on the enterprise is a little ironic, considering the origins of the company.

[Sequoyah101]

Congratulations, you’ve destroyed a company, probably made thousands lose their jobs, brought your 15 minutes of fame.

VW did wrong but don’t deserve to be destroyed for bringing the public good, economical cars.

This is a vendetta against a non-union shop in Tennessee and diesels.

[Sgt_Schultze]

Yes, “electric” cars should only be able to exalt their cleanliness if they are fueled with only “green” electricity. If the electricity used was generated using hydrocarbons, then their clean label should be stripped.

[Major Matt Mason]

Yes, a scandal only to the loony Warmunists.

[cuban leaf]

Who knows? The important thing is that I can still burn my garbage. :-D

[alloysteel]

Hey, we NEED ozone!

Kills the hell out of bedbug infestations. Also cleans up a good deal of indoor odors and pollution.

Ozone is a variant of the oxygen we all breathe in and out every day, but the molecule is composed three oxygen atoms, instead of the usual two. The third atom is unusually highly reactive, tending to rip most other elements subject to oxidation right out of the elements of which they are a part, particularly carbonaceous compounds (which are a part of most living things). This makes ozone an excellent bleach and disinfectant, but it will scald your respiratory tract and make your eyes burn terribly.

[max americana]

That’s why the anti US leftwing Guardian had this schmuck being interviewed day and night. I’m gonna wager the asshole leans left and votes Dummycrat.

[SgtHooper]

The same definitional license allowed for food additives, chem compositions, etc. Let’s hold these entities to the fire on the BS they purvey.

[Cen-Tejas]

You may not know how spot on you are!

I once lost a 15 story office building I had started construction on because of my refusal to knuckle under to liberals demanding I contribute $100,000.00 to their fishing pier across the street.

Big mistake! I should have given them one million! I was very young and dumb on how corruption works at the time! I actually (and stupidly) believed that “the law” mattered!

[Koracan]

The other Truth, something is not right here?
Someone really wanted to kill the Turbo diesel in the USA for good.?

VW Polo TDI BlueMotion three-cylinder turbo diesel (TDI) with 73.5 mpg.

.......Despite ongoing efforts to wean itself off the teat of foreign oil, the U.S. car market is still almost twice as polluting as Europe and Japan......

Concerns over fuel economy and carbon-dioxide emissions have left many wondering why more cars with diesel engines aren't available in America.
After all, diesel-engined cars are 20 to 40 percent more efficient, and they're cleaner than ever.
Diesels in Europe, accounting for roughly 50 percent of the car market .....Popular Mechanics.

......The common-rail TDI engine has won "Green Car of the Year" award in the years 2009....