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In June, Volkswagen entered into a 14.7 billion dollar settlement with regulators and private plaintiffs over the company’s use of defeat devices in its diesel-model vehicles. For those of you who are not aware, Volkswagen came under fire last September after regulatory investigations revealed that the company installed software in its vehicles designed to hide excess nitrogen oxide emissions that were more than nine times the EPA's allowable level. And while the settlement might appear to signal the end of the "emissions scandal," it really shouldn't--at least as far as the rest of the world is concerned.
See, the settlement only requires VW to recall vehicles sold in the United States, which amounts to approximately 675,000. While that may seem like a lot, VW has admitted that roughly 11 million of its vehicles worldwide are equipped with the exact same device, 8 million of which are in Europe. According to VW, however, it is none of their international consumers' business whether their cars have defeat devices because it is only frowned upon in the U.S.
Rude.
So what exactly is a defeat device?
Despite the name, a defeat device is not a tangible object; rather, it is a software or code that adjusts certain functions in the vehicle's emissions control system. It might seem harmless enough, but the purpose of the technology is to sense when the vehicle is undergoing emissions tests administered by regulatory agencies.
In the 1950s, we discovered that combustion engines were responsible for a large portion of the air pollution. As a result, countries began rolling out laws limiting the amount of air pollutants that vehicles could emit while operating on the road. To meet these standards, manufacturers installed filter and treatment mechanisms in vehicle exhaust systems. These techniques, known as collectively as the emission control system, are now controlled by computers in the vehicle's engine. They are effective but they can impact performance and tend to suck up gas--basically a car manufacturer's worst nightmare.
Their solution? Cheat.
The standard emissions tests used by regulatory agencies are not secret; they have been around for years, largely unchanged. Aware of the parameters, manufacturers started programming vehicles to activate their emissions control system only when they are being tested. Using the position of steering wheel, outside temperature, acceleration, etc., the software knows the difference between test driving and the regular, on-the-road driving that you and I do. Once the tests are completed the emission control system shuts off, allowing pollutants to escape at much higher levels.
Why should the rest of the world care?
Well, nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter for starters. These pollutants are emitted from running vehicles and they wreak havoc on human health and the environment. Trust me when I say the EPA does not set pollutant levels willy-nilly; there is a reason why the levels are what they are.
In Volkswagen’s case, the defeat device hid excessive emissions of nitrogen oxide, commonly referred to as NOx. I won’t bore you with the details, but NOx weakens the immune system and causes a host of respiratory issues. Also, keep in mind that this is not the first time a defeat device has been used to skirt emissions testing: Ford was also busted for NOx and Honda for hydrocarbons.
More importantly, though, is that most countries have similar prohibitions on the use of defeat devices; they are just not enforced in the same manner. In the EU, for example, the text of the prohibition is nearly identical to that of the US, but it does not spell out what happens when a defeat device is found. So there are controls on emissions in theory just not in practice. And Volkswagen could use the practice.
Whether you live in Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, it doesn’t matter: everyone deserves to breathe clean air. Volkswagen knows what it did—time to start raising hell, people.
Additional Information
EU Testing: So far, not so good
The Ingredients of Air Pollution
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