EPA may fine VW

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

Hmm, so they did what I always wanted to do so my intake wouldn't plug up every few years?

Sounds reasonable.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

The rest of the country isn't California.
Most of the united states does not need to declare war on NOx. ...

Well, yes. But many areas have more concerns than are generally realized. When I lived in rural Western Massachusetts we had a smog problem, not of 1970s LA proportions, but significant.

Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester counties get poor marks for air quality in American Lung Association report for Massachusetts | masslive.com

[darcane]

Originally Posted by P-hack

They make it sound like some sophisticated AI software thing that is nefariously looking for epa test conditions somehow. It is probably as simple/common as full throttle enrichment.

Accoring to the EPA it apparently it DOES look for specific conditions that are found during the EPA test and it runs more rich during the test to reduce the NOx emissions.

The EPA said the device senses the testing environment by analyzing a variety of data — steering position, speed, duration of engine operation and barometric pressure.

VW cheated on U.S. pollution tests for 'clean diesels' - LA Times

The "fix" for this will likely be a reprogramming of the CPU to operate under the the more rich test conditions more often or at all times. This will directly result in lower fuel economy...

[oil pan 4]

Increase consumption to save the world.
LOL

This is why we need reasonable common sense and some responsibility and not iron fist absolute political agenda driven EPA regulations.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Increase consumption to save the world.
LOL

Increase not just the fuel consumption of cars, but also of oil tanker ships travelling from the Middle East (or Venezuela) to the United States. And the heavy crude oil used in ships is by far dirtier than regular Diesel fuel.

What really seems pointless to me is that EPA somehow neglects the opportunities to develop a nationwide biodiesel program or even some incentives to the usage of vegetable oils directly as a fuel not just for motor vehicles but also for stationary/industrial equipments.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Cd

Right !!! F the gubmint in all that blue sky crap. I preefer my skies to be gray...

( * sarcasm )

CA smog has been vastly improved since the 80s. NOx is not the problem it once was, so CARBs emission standards for diesel pollution is outdated, especially in light of other countries more relaxed standards for the more transitory pollutants.

I'm not saying there should be no standards, just that they should actually benefit health without imposing significant financial burdens on manufacturers/consumers.

Originally Posted by Hersbird

The thing is other companies as far as we know can pass without a cheat.

Actually, no other brands were able to even offer a diesel in a passenger vehicle for most of the past 2 decades because they couldn't pass the odd emission regulations the US imposes. Cheating the system likely gave VW a strategic advantage in that it had no competitors until very recently.

They ought to be fined for cheating the rules and having the monopoly, however our emission laws also ought to be revised. The current fad is to be paranoid about CO2, which is a long lasting "pollutant", and the types of pollution that diesels struggle to reduce are shorter lived in the air.

[niky]

I'm pretty sure that any software fix resulting from this issue will directly lead to reduced economy and possibly reduced power. Those NOx requirements are a killer.

Such a shame. Those VW TDIs are fantastic on the highway.

Other manufacturers do meet the CA guidelines, but they need urea injection to do it. I don't recall any other manufacturer offering a diesel at the same size and price point as VW in America. Hell, Mazda have spent years trying to get their small SkyActiv-Ds to meet US requirements, and have so far failed.

This probably means death to the dream of cheap, small diesels in the US... at least for the next few years.

And with potentially eleven million VWs affected, there will likely be a ripple effect throughout Europe and other developed markets as well.

[Baltothewolf]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

CA smog has been vastly improved since the 80s. NOx is not the problem it once was, so CARBs emission standards for diesel pollution is outdated, especially in light of other countries more relaxed standards for the more transitory pollutants.

I'm not saying there should be no standards, just that they should actually benefit health without imposing significant financial burdens on manufacturers/consumers.



Actually, no other brands were able to even offer a diesel in a passenger vehicle for most of the past 2 decades because they couldn't pass the odd emission regulations the US imposes. Cheating the system likely gave VW a strategic advantage in that it had no competitors until very recently.

They ought to be fined for cheating the rules and having the monopoly, however our emission laws also ought to be revised. The current fad is to be paranoid about CO2, which is a long lasting "pollutant", and the types of pollution that diesels struggle to reduce are shorter lived in the air.

Funny, I suppose the ban of lead based fuel and cars not running rich 100% of the time has absolutely nothing to do with the decrease in smog - eyeroll-. The emissions standards now are absolutely ridiculous. In CA my Mustang has 4 cats, I can cut 2 off and STILL pass the sniffer. It's all a money making scheme. C.A.R.B. Is an absolute joke.

[Frank Lee]

The first time I was in Cali in the '80s I was literally sick the whole time from the clearly visible L.A. smog. And that was when I was young and healthy and had no known allergies. If it's better now, clearly something was done right.

[botsapper]

http://i.imgur.com/mQf8y4G.jpg