Thread: VW caught by the Yanks for breaking emission laws

Could get expensive....
VW faces billions in fines as U.S. sues for environmental violations | Reuters

Originally Posted by Eevo

behind a paywall, cant see a thing

Had to get off my arse,
get a beer
turn on PC
crack beer
tappty tap

They are the motor industry's most awkward success. Some new diesel cars, including Volkswagens, are passing the EU's toughest emissions tests with flying colours.

For VW, whose latest diesel cars have emerged as the cleanest of those tested, the findings suggest the destruction of the firm's reputation in the 'defeat device? scandal was pointless. The results suggest VW has the technical capability to produce low-emission cars without cheating.

It comes as carmakers spend millions of dollars lobbying the EU for new vehicles to be allowed to emit more than double the current limit of 0.08 grams of nitrogen *oxides (NOx) per kilometre. European parliamentarians are due to vote on this measure shortly, so the finding that some carmakers are already meeting the standard will undermine industry claims that they need years to build cars that comply.

The results are emerging from a new wave of road tests carried out across Europe after the VW scandal, in which the company admitted fitting millions of cars, including Audi, Seat, Skoda and Porsche models, with software that could detect when a car was being tested and artificially reduce emissions.

One British firm, Emissions Analytics, has fitted more than 1000 cars with monitoring systems that measure the greenhouse gases emitted in road driving.

Such tests are far more challenging for pollution suppression systems than the gentle, laboratory-based measurements used to approve cars officially for road use.

Nick Molden of Emissions Analytics says he had tested 200 diesel cars, many of them built under euro 6, the EU's latest and toughest emissions standard. Of these, the Audi A4, A5 and A6 Ultra models were the cleanest, along with a VW Golf TDI and a BMW 320d, all emitting under the EU maximum.

?There is a wide range of performances, with some marques producing consistently low emissions and, at the other end of the spectrum, some being very high, with 10 times the EU NOx maximum,? Molden says.

Emissions Analytics is setting up Europe's first public ratings scheme for diesel vehicles, making pollutant emission data publicly available. ?It means consumers can choose cleaner cars and policymakers can find out which marques and models to target for enforcement action or excluding from city centres,? Molden says.

A test for a German car magazine Fiat's 500X 1.6 Multijet emitted about 9.5 times more NOx when on roads. Fiat says road tests were unreliable: ?Emissions measurements on road tests are highly subjective, influenced by many factors and not repeatable,? a spokeswoman says. But VW welcomed the tests, saying it reflected engineering improvements such as the addition of a ?lean NOx trap? that destroys the oxides.

The findings will fuel debate in the European parliament where MEPs have been angered by industry proposals, backed by Britain, to introduce ?conformity factors? into the emissions limits. This means the maximum emissions permitted would be multiplied by a figure reflecting the difficulty for manufacturers of adjusting to the new limits.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says conformity factors ?would overcome problems in calibrating equipment?.

The motor industry is fighting proposals to make its kilometres-per-litre claims for new vehicles more accurate. Consumer organisations such as the UK's Which? have repeatedly criticised the industry for inflating the mpg figures ? leaving motorists facing hundreds of dollars a year in unexpected fuel bills. However, the European carmakers? association, ACEA, says it needs at least five years to make improvements.

The Sunday Times

why does lean NOx trap sound like EGR valve to me