More Automakers Could Be Cheating on Diesel Emissions Tests
Volkswagen might not be the only automaker cheating on diesel emissions tests.
Earlier this month, the European Federation for Transport and Environment released a report suggesting that automakers could be using software or other technology so that their diesel vehicles perform better during emissions tests than they do on the road. The report points at BMW, Mercedes-Benz and General Motors’ Opel brand as potential offenders.
The European environmental group based its report on a review of data from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), the same organization which outed Volkswagen for cheating on diesel emissions tests.
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As a result, the report now raises questions about how Europe’s emissions testing is conducted and suggests that Volkswagen may not be the only automaker that have used methods to get better readings in emissions tests. The group says that ICCT tests have clear discrepancies between lab emissions test results and real-world performance.
Organization spokesman Nico Muzi said that Volkswagen is “just the tip of the iceberg” and that the discrepancies are “happening across the board.”
Considering how bright the spotlight is on Volkswagen, don’t be surprised if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) starts shining it elsewhere.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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Everyone just concentrates on Nitrogen Oxides which admittedly are real bad to human health but most people forget that there is even worse in those so called "clean diesel" exhaust gases. Pressure and temperature in those high performance engines produce the vilest dust the earth has ever seen. And we breathe it changing us into ... http://www.lng.guru/in-the-crosshairs-how-diesel-makes-us-mutants/
If diesel just isn't working, then stop using it. It seems to me that auto makers should have found a way to make it work within the emmisions guidelines by now, but they haven't so why not focus on the development of real clean vehicles suck as electric or hybrid for the interim. Yes, diesel is more energy dense than gasoline, and yes it has natural lubrication properties that are good for engines, but when the pros don't outweigh the cons and it's not possible to make it work without making it over complicated and expensive then I think there is more profit to be made -guilt free by further developing simpler, more cost effective, cleaner systems for the masses.