EPA may fine VW

[RustyLugNut]

Originally Posted by freebeard

LitterBug -- AKA electric. Tesla's rotating magnetic fields.

RustyLugNut -- Carefully labeled opinion ("I would rank them this way:")

I'm not dogmatic about it. A compressor in the [well-ventilated] garage to refuel from the domestic gas supply would capture some of the advantage of electrics.



I've no doubt they would try. Can't you just unplug your electric clothes dryer and plug the car in there?

My condominium resides on the third floor. It's your typical beach view development with secure underground garage. My son has a parking spot in the back alley by the loading door. I guess I could drop a really long extension cord.

[Vman455]

Originally Posted by freebeard

cRiPpLe_rOoStEr -- Agreed there is diesel and then there is bio-diesel. I would rank them this way:

• Magnetic drive (it's the future)
• Bio fuels, Vodka and hemp oil
• Petroleum based liquids—gas and diesel
• Compressed gases—propane,LNG, and especially hydrogen.

There's a problem of classification here--"magnetic drive" is not an energy storage medium, but the others are. And our current storage media associated with magnetic drive, including one that ranks last on your list, have their own set of problems.

[freebeard]

Yeah, I could use an editor.

I knew I was on thin ice with compressed air. That's a working fluid, but you probably wouldn't call it a fuel. It's consumed, but it isn't burnt.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

cRiPpLe_rOoStEr -- Agreed there is diesel and then there is bio-diesel. I would rank them this way:

• Magnetic drive (it's the future)
• Bio fuels, Vodka and hemp oil
• Petroleum based liquids—gas and diesel
• Compressed gases—propane,LNG, and especially hydrogen.

I am kinda experienced about CNG, and even can see it as a good alternative for some operations, but LNG scares the hell out of me. And as its main component (methane) can be generated from organic waste, it seems better than ethanol. Anyway, maybe Volkswagen should introduce to the American market some CNG-powered versions of its cars fitted with the 1.4L TSI engine as it does in Europe.

[Xist]

Volkswagen Rolls Out 'Goodwill' Program for Some Diesel Owners - Consumer Reports

Only for 2.0s, not 3.0s.

But VW owners shouldn’t expect to see $1,000 worth of credit arrive in their mailboxes automatically.

Rather than simply sending activated cards to registered owners, Volkswagen is calling for owners to submit information online, wait four weeks, then visit a dealership and present a driver’s license, vehicle registration, and title or lease agreement. Owners must claim this award by April 30, 2016. Both cards expire in one year.

The $500 dealership credit card could serve as another gambit to increase service and parts business at dealerships from customers who normally take their cars to independent shops.

TTAC Registers for VW's "2.0L TDI Customer Goodwill Package"

The last comment claimed that everything was working, so I subscribed to ask what the program rules and cardholder agreement said.

It sounds like they are giving out a $500 prepaid Visa and a Volkswagen gift card that only last a year, which would approximately compensate you for going there, instead of an independent shop, but I imagine that some will end up purchasing stacks of shirts or something in a year.

Anyone who accepts will be unable to sue. And this will undoubtedly cost owners more than $500-1,000. I went back to 2012 in order to find more user-submitted MPG estimates on fueleconomy.gov. I found sixty Golfs and Jettas; the average EPA is 33.85, but they report 40.5, 19.65% more. So, will they now perform closer to EPA rating, using 20% more fuel?

According to EIA.gov, the average price for diesel today is $2.235 a gallon. 15,000 miles at that price at 40.5 MPG would cost $827.78, but $1,030.22 at 33.85, or another $202.44 yearly; $1,012.19 for five years.

In 2013, a small non-profit group decided to compare diesel emissions from European cars, which are notoriously high, with the US versions of the same vehicles. A team led by Drew Kodjak, executive director of the International Council on Clean Transportation, worked with emissions researchers at West Virginia University to test three four-cylinder 2.0-liter diesel cars in the Los Angeles area: a Jetta, a Passat, and a BMW. Only the BMW passed.

The ICCT reported its findings to the EPA and the California Air Resources Board. Regulators met with VW officials in 2014 and the automaker agreed to fix the problem with a voluntary recall. But in July 2015, CARB did some follow up testing and again the cars failed—the scrubber technology was present, but off most of the time.

Sensors disabled clean mode when the steering wheel was moving.

VW Could Fool the EPA, But It Couldn't Trick Chemistry | WIRED

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Xist

According to EIA.gov, the average price for diesel today is $2.235 a gallon. 15,000 miles at that price at 40.5 MPG would cost $827.78, but $1,030.22 at 33.85, or another $202.44 yearly; $1,012.19 for five years.

I still think it would make more sense to invest on locally-sourced renewable fuels instead of "fixing" the affected cars, as it would not just close the NOx cycle but also reduce the emissions from crude oil shipping. But it seems like the gov't is actually more interested in an increased tax revenue from the higher volumes of Diesel fuel that would be sold than in any compensation for the alleged "environmental damage"...

[COcyclist]

To anyone following this with a US VW Clean Diesel, we applied on-line with Audi of America for our loyalty reward. For the affected vehicles VAG is offering $500 on a gift card to use anywhere, a $500 dealership voucher and 3 years of free roadside assistance. When the application comes we will have to take the car, proof of ownership and drivers license to the dealership to activate the reward. The website claims receiving the reward does not prevent owners from participating in future class action lawsuits.

We still love our 2011 A3 TDI but this was not an inexpensive car and we had planned to keep it for a long time. I hope whatever fix they develop for NOx levels at full throttle blasts doesn't ruin the things we love about this car. i.e. quiet comfort, loads of torque and better than average mpg.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by COcyclist

We still love our 2011 A3 TDI but this was not an inexpensive car and we had planned to keep it for a long time. I hope whatever fix they develop for NOx levels at full throttle blasts doesn't ruin the things we love about this car. i.e. quiet comfort, loads of torque and better than average mpg.

Not sure about the U.S. and Canada, but in Australia the so-called "fix" is supposed to be just an ECU reflashing. Well, mechanical mods including a higher-capacity intercooler can decrease NOx levels, but it would come at a higher cost that VW might want to avoid and takes more time to implement.

[RedDevil]

One of the tricks is the level of urea (AdBlue) that gets injected.
If the GPS data shows the car is not moving then it will use enough to reduce emissions within the limits.
If the car moves it runs lean so the AdBlue lasts to the next service.
Reflashing the ECU may mean you need to add AdBlue every once in a while.

Our local Shell tank shops over here have large racks outside with big plastic AdBlue bottles.
(Anything toxic, flammable or otherwise unpleasant is kept outside)

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by RedDevil

One of the tricks is the level of urea (AdBlue) that gets injected.

But most of the affected vehicles are not fitted with SCR, only the 2014-2015 US-spec Passat, and retrofit it would be too costly.