How VW cheated on emissions tests

Drew Kodjak, from the International Council on Clean Transportation, tells CNN's Richard Quest how they discovered Volkswagen was using a defeat device in some vehicles.

[nimbusgti]

This doesn't even tell us how vw did it.

[michaelbisnett]

You told us what they did but not how they did it. Now that would be something worthwhile.

[saif]

VW recently allowed the EPA to access the algorithm inside the electronic logic circuitry of the engine control module that was reducing test emissions to undetectable levels, it was found to be STOP START.

[aquaticscrotum]

A bunch of kids in West Virginia blew this thing wide open. Where was the Federal government ? Probably bribed

[tinderinc]

I bet my life its more then just the newer ones this probably goes back to the 90's

[normmadson]

It's all bullshit! all the car makers are doing the same thing! And if the problem is fixed the fuel mileage will be cut in half or greatly reduced! I guess that's not causing any problems as there is an inexhaustible supply of fuel!!

[daily]

Volkswagen has the most fuel efficient cars on the road. Pound for pound, they get better fuel economy than all others, including an up to 300 mpg diesel not available in America. And after years and years of them being on the road, and no one noticing anything at all wrong with the emissions, Volkswagen got busted for programming certain parts of the emission control systems to turn off at all times other than when the cars were in for emission tests.
Why would Volkswagen do this? The answer is obvious - ALL American cars are programmed to waste fuel on purpose, to heat up the catalytic converters so less carbon monoxide is produced (after the catalytic converter burns it off) and as it turns out, a LOT of fuel is wasted this way, many many miles per gallon worth. A car that runs too clean won't heat the catalytic converter up enough for it to function. Having a catalytic converter is all just a corruption enforced arbitrary rule when clean emissions can be accomplished the correct way in any computer controlled car - by burning the fuel perfectly to begin with. Volkswagen basically "broke the law" by producing cars so efficient a catalytic converter was not needed, and they shut off the fuel wasting process that heats the catalytic converter up enough for it to work. No one noticed any stink, because the cars did not make any stink to begin with, and the benefit was much higher fuel economy than any other equivalent cars on the road.
Lot's of Love

[moviniron]

How is this different than the diesel tuners like Edge, Superchips, Bullydog where they urge customers to pollute on the street and restore a factory tune for emission testing?

This is one of the latest problems with VW, their abysmal quality far eclipses the Diesel scandal in my eyes. VW has been deceiving its customers with unreliable junk for years.

[alexandrefernandes]

VW play dirty...
Although only the "green" clients, which are not so many (diesel are not green cars), will be angry.
All the others are happy with more powerful cars with low taxes. If a lot of them "chip" their cars, do you think they want VW to fix the problem?!
The countries that loose a higher tax, those have reasons to be angry.

[americanstylefreak]

Let's be straight here. There are few cars that get as good fuel mileage as Volkswagen TDIs do. If less fuel is burnt, fewer emissions are blown into the air, it's simple chemistry. I think this is a whole bunch of bs. Volkswagen make awesome cars, and there is hardly any car, that gets such fuel milage, while being so pleasant to drive.

[vwmosbachtechnologies]

World is full of Industrial pollution but nobody bothers but due due to this emission level we consider as cheating the environment.In India no one speaks about this emission level.vehicles are running without emission level test.

[bigmurff]

all combustion vehicles will be phased out soon as companies such as Tesla, which is proudly made here in the silicon valley, here in America, revolutionizes the everyday automobile. BMW, Porsche, and Nissan are also in the game but it's going to take another decade or so until this transformation picks up massive momentum

[jaggass]

whats cleaner a cow fart or a vw diesel?

[username]

Uh huh. I dont remember if I put my German address on my resume to VW or American. Oh well. Stupid is as stupid does.

[pietervanrooyen]

This is about tax money. not about environment. ..less emission tax

[pietervanrooyen]

The question is. other companies owned by vw have the same switch ..audi .seat .lamborghini. bugatti. ? etc

[MrJaxyagi]

I haven't visited continental Europe for some years…….I read, heard that the air over Germany, France, etc is pretty much polluted even visually. Is that true?

[HansPeter-udtv]

my opinion...vw are still very advanced cars compared to US, expect tesla...

[richardsandwell]

This scandal was inevitable, it is sad and pathetic failure of an oil addicted, uncontrolled capitalist system. You cannot make a silk purse from a pigs ear. And although internal combustion engines maybe cleaner than they have been before engine management systems came in, they are still old technology which should have been abandoned years ago. You can only make them so clean and efficient, there are limits, and often environmental technology like exhaust cats, comes with its own ecologically damaging price tag. If all the money, people and resources that have been wasted on wars and nuclear weapons over the years, had been used to develop better batteries, super-capacitors and photovoltaic cells, then we would not be in this mess. And children would not be suffering the ill health from all the pollution. It really is an example of just how pathetic and backward we are has a species. We use polluting technologies over un-polluting ones, just so a small handful of very selfish greedy people can become ridiculously wealthy. This handful of people are not very intelligent, otherwise they would realise that eventually, despite their wealth, they too will end up suffering themselves. In the 21st century, mankind is quick to boast about how advanced we have become, yet we are still burning fossil fuels, while the planet is totally awash with free untapped energy. No wonder the suicide rates are so high, if I had known back at School in the seventies we would still be using internal combustion engines, I would have probably gassed myself in the chemistry lab. Electric cars are only just becoming practical, but their success has little to do with battery research for electric vehicles, its only happened because of the need for compact, powerful mobile phone batteries. We are currently running about twenty years or more behind where we should be. Humans should be hanging their heads in shame at just how backward and pathetic we are has a species. If an advanced alien race was to visit planet Earth and see us driving about in cars powered by what's little more than a controlled chip pan fire, we would become the laughing stock of the universe. Lets hope someone sees sense eventually. We need to stop spending money and precious time on wars. And start cooperating and pooling ideas to save all of us and the planet.

[kravdraa]

Do the rules and law stipulate exactly the state of tune during a test? Modern engine management by its very nature changes the settings at all points during running, so unless the rules have extremely complex rules I think VW may have a legal loophole the size of the Grand Canyon to jump through!

If all that is required is for a car to pass a test then that is what they have done. Effectively it's not 'cheating' if there is no specific rule to bar this method of passing the test.
It would be akin to having a finals exam where tablets and internet searches are not banned and then pointing fingers at the students who passed with flying colours by making full use of them!

I have yet to hear anyone explain if there are any precise requirements for these emission tests. All everyone says is that VW cheated.