Posted on 09/25/2015 8:08:56 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Volkswagen is confronted with a monumental challenge.
The company has admitted that 11 million of its cars used illegal software to cheat emissions standards.
Now, many owners are demanding that the offending cars be fixed.
That's easier said than done, and Volkswagen has already tried — and failed — twice.
Here's the issue, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency: Cars with Volkswagen's 2-liter TDI turbo-diesel four-cylinder engines include software that detects when the car is undergoing emissions testing and turns on a suite of pollution-control systems.
But as soon as the test ends, the controls switch off, leaving the engine free to emit up to 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen oxide, a highly polluting gas. According to the California Air Resources Board, Volkswagen admitted to using a defeat device during a September 3 meeting with the agency and the EPA.
The problem for Volkswagen is that getting the engine's emissions in line with pollution standards probably means sacrificing something else.
"Building an engine involves balancing four factors — performance, emissions, durability, and fuel economy," explained Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports' director of automotive testing.
Right now, VW has sacrificed emissions to create a TDI engine that offers great performance, incredible fuel economy, and solid reliability.
"Whatever the fix is, it will likely sacrifice fuel economy and probably durability as well," Fisher said.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
This will morph into a buyback.
Right now, VW has sacrificed emissions to create a TDI engine that offers great performance, incredible fuel economy, and solid reliability.
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Watch and see if the EPA does a recall on these “clean diesels”. VW does on fix on the pollution problem, but then...
Your diesel goes from 0-60 in a minute or so. And your mpg’s are now 20 instead of 40.
Oh well.
The mileage calculated by the EPA would have been determined with the "test mode" emissions, so as far as a reduction in mileage, the car will still meet the advertised mileage on the window sticker, so no liability there. Customers actually got more than they were entitled to.
Or do the right thing and leave the cars alone. The world hasn't come to a halt because of some excess NOx emissions under certain load conditions, so in actuality no harm no foul. Pay a few million in fines, get your hand slapped, and move on with life.
VW is sooooooo screwed.
More like overreaching government bureaucracies cannot be fixed.
This is going to drag on for years both at the EPA and in the courts. Do you think a Trump administration would come down hard on VW? Or would the "Negotiator in Chief" cut a deal with VW?
I’m certain that “Submit to all UAW demands” is going to be incorporated into any solution.
Can this be an example of government targets on emissions, economy, etc. bumping up against limitations of current technology?
I think so, too. Now can they payoff the right politicians here like GM did to get away without criminal liability?
Feel sorry for the buyers. Can’t pass the safety sticker tests = can’t drive the car. Can’t sell the car either.
Apparently BMW did the same thing with their diesel Z3.
I’m sure the fallout is going to spread to other automakers.
If they went to this extreme to take a shortcut, where else did they make “exfeptions”. They’ve managed to destroy an entire brand.
Buyback? That’s like a quarter-trillion dollars. All they can do now is sell off all assets and give the proceeds to several governments as “don’t incarcerate us” penance.
It would have been cheaper to simply bribe the various legislatures to block some of these new regulations.
i predict in 6 months you’ll see a lot of vw diesels on buy here pay here lots
When I read .....UP TO 40 times....it tells me nothing. Lets see real test numbers in black and white. Take 10 cars and show me.....
And let the owners loose 50+hp and 100+ lbs of torque? It’s suck city.
Those engines were good for 300k miles some say.
We have two Mack diesel tractors that probably emit each as much NO2 as a fleet of VW’s. Not planning on doing anything but run them every day.
The sad part is this will set back diesel introduction into the US market to a certain extent.
That’s about right but it will be tied up in the courts for years.
Hell, the government took over GM and gave it to the unions. I wouldn’t put anything past them anymore.
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