EPA caught VW cheating - how does the car know it's being tested?

I must agree, unfortunately.

At this point, we don't know WHO was involved.

Please post when anyone finds out WHO the guilty PEOPLE were.

Reply to
Winston_Smith
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You have to keep in mind that there are DIFFERENT laws when safety is involved (NHTSA) versus the environment (EPA).

The NY Times, I think it was, discussed the difference, which essentially said that the EPA actually has more power to fine them than does the NHTSA.

We should look up the details, but, my point is that the laws and maximum penalties are totally DIFFERENT for safety violations versus emissions violations.

Inexplicably, the emissions violation laws appear (at first inspection) to be more stringent.

Go figure.

Reply to
Winston_Smith

Again, let's remember the laws and maximum fines are very DIFFERENT for emissions laws versus for safety laws.

Different laws. Different agencies. Different penalties.

You could be arguing that we should make the laws more consistent between SAFETY violations and EMISSIONS violations; but the fact is they are very different - so - you can't really compare them that way and be fair.

Reply to
Winston_Smith

My dad had a 1976 Chevy pickup. It was one of those with the gas tank outside of the rails. GM was supposed to allow an extra $1000 as trade in value as part of a settlement with the government. That deal smelled bad from the beginning.

Reply to
Dean Hoffman

The most important thing here is that puts an end to those incessant and tasteless TDI ads on TV, with those offensive dirty old women. Good.

Reply to
Vic Smith

GM's answer to any problem was always to buy a new one. I no longer drive GM cars and the associated problems.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

There may be others cheating too, just not caught yet. Big corp. mentality like VW cheating. They should be fined $$$ as an example and top guy should do some jail time as well. VW chief said, "we screwed up" So they intentionally cheated.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Yeah, those disgusting ads on TV should have been a clue that VW was an immoral company. A thorough investigation is necessary. When the congressional Benghazi committee wraps it up in the next

10-12 years, they should take this up. They'll get to the bottom of it.
Reply to
Vic Smith

I cannot imagine a big corporation intentionally doing something like that and figure they would not get caught. Too many people work on projects like that and superiors have to sign off. The cost t fix it is in the billions and for what?

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Apparently VW yanked *all* those youtube ads, completely. Amazing how quickly that marketing team can move!

Reply to
Winston_Smith

Actually, the USA chief said "we screwed up". The Germany chief is just "endlessly sorry".

Reply to
Winston_Smith

I realize some things are "political", but is *this* issue really a "congressional" issue?

Isn't it simply that CARB & the EPA have procedures which are backed up by force of law (admittedly, made by Congress), which VW broke?

Reply to
Winston_Smith

I wonder, out loud, how many people inside of VW knew about this?

Do you think it was a small cadre? Or basically everyone?

Reply to
Winston_Smith

In a corporation that size, even a small cadre could have been 20 to 50 engineers. Someone had to come up with the idea, design, build, test, and approve everything. The guys on the line installing would probably have no idea, just another part. Higher level in engineering would know.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

That was tongue and cheek. But a congressional committee can investigate a ham sandwich if they please.

Reply to
Vic Smith

Actually the fuel mapping would be the reverse of that. Running rich on a diesel reduces NOx because the extra fuel cools the burn. Lean it out and create more heat and you get higher NOx.

This is the reason why 99% of the VW owners bragged about getting better mpg numbers than the EPA tests as well.

Reply to
Steve W.

The only real change is in the code map in the ECM. They basically had a "normal" map for constant driving and a "test map" that only engaged when undergoing tests. I would bet it took fewer that 10 people to do the entire thing.

You need to consider that the engineers already know how to make the engine run and get good mileage and wrote the software to do that. However that programming didn't pass the EPA testing.

The actual program change is easy. It could be hidden just about anywhere but is likely very simple. Something like IF the engine is running at XXX rpm but there is a connector in the OBD test port, with no input from the steering rack and the parking brake is set, add 2% fuel enrichment to the drive cycle.

Extra fuel cools the fuel burn and drops the NOx to legal limits. Car passes.

Reply to
Steve W.

The CEO of VW is stepping down.

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It's too bad he's German. We might run out of candidates for U.S. President.

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Using Opera's mail client:

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Reply to
Dean Hoffman

The VW case is a conspicuous textbook example of how and why emissions testing is a doomed to failure approach similar to solving drug abuse by arresting individual users. As even the admitted guilty party have undeniably exposed, emissions control MUST be properly addressed at the point of manufacture.

Reply to
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The VW case is a conspicuous textbook example of how and why emissions testing is a doomed to failure approach similar to solving drug abuse by arresting individual users. As even the admitted guilty party have undeniably exposed, emissions control MUST be properly addressed at the point of manufacture.

Reply to
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