VW cheated emissions tests

Germany’s Volkswagen, the world’s second-largest carmaker, was accused on 18th September, 2015 of cheating emissions tests by fitting nearly half a million VW and Audi vehicles with devices designed to bypass environmental standards.

 

The Environmental Protection Agency ordered the recall of 482,000 diesel-powered vehicles sold in the US over the past six years that featured “defeat device” software that detected whether the vehicle was being subjected to an emissions test.

 

The cars would switch on emissions-control devices for tests but under all other circumstances could emit nitrogen dioxide at up to 40 times the permitted level.

 

Volkswagen has advertised its diesel vehicles as a fuel-efficient alternative to the petrol-powered vehicles that make up most of the US passenger car fleet. While diesel vehicles’ overall fuel consumption is lower than that for petrol-engined vehicles, their emissions of other pollutants are generally higher.

 

 

Cynthia Giles, an assistant EPA administrator, said on a conference call that the agency had discovered five diesel-powered VW and Audi vehicles that featured the defeat devices. When the cars were not being tested, the emissions controls were ineffective.

 

These violations are very serious,” Ms Giles said. “We expected better from Volkswagen.” Volkswagen declined to comment but said it was co-operating with the EPA.

 

 

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