VW and the scandal that study at West Virginia University from where it all began – Il Sole 24 Ore

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This article was published September 21, 2015 at 16:24.
The last change is the 21 September 2015 at 16:58.

The scandal has put in trouble Volkswagen, guilty of having rigged the system that regulates emissions exhaust gas mounted on diesel Tdi, so as to overcome the stringent US environmental testing, has been exposed thanks to a study at West Virginia University that dates back to May 2014.

Emission tested “on the road”
The “United States Environmental Protection Agency” (EPA) began investigating when in fact the “Center for alternative fuels, engines & amp; emissions “of West Virginia University publishes the results of a study commissioned by the” Council on clean transportation “. The study aims to quantify the levels of emissions of diesel engines for cars measured in normal conditions of use (ie road tested and not “over the counter”, as with the homologation tests).

Data “suspicious” emissions Jetta and Passat
During the tests, engineers measured levels significantly higher than expected for two models Volkswagewn: a Jetta of 2012 and a Passat of 2013. Both cars are equipped with the 2.0 TDI diesel engine with direct injection. The same engine now at the center of the scandal.

The first defense of Volkswagen altered test
Throughout 2014, informed of the facts Volkswagen rejects any allegations of falsified data . The differences between the measured values ​​in registration phase and measured “on the road” can be attributed to “technical problems relating to individual vehicles and conditions of use unconventional” as hard acceleration, heavy traffic, sporty driving style .

The EPA asked for an explanation
In December 2014, VW runs a voluntary recall for groped to solve the problem. But now the machine controls are set in motion. The EPA and Carb (Calibornia air resolurces borad) demanding ever more insistently explanations on the technical characteristics of systems controlling engine emissions. Specifically, the engineers asking VW to explain why “the diagnostic systems of the engine does not report the emission levels in excess of those permitted.” No error. No lights on.

The EPA denies approval for new engines
The explanations given by the technicians of the giant Wolfsburg do not convince the American inspectors. Result: The EPA tells Volkswagen view that the situation would not have issued the certificate of compliance for diesel engines model year 2016 that VW was ready to market in the US. That was until the manufacturer had failed to provide clear explanations about the inconsistencies measured.

The admission of Volkswagen
Only then VW admits that he designed and installed on vehicles indicted a system to limit emissions at the very moment in which the the vehicle is subjected to the American texts anti-pollution, thanks to a software that manages the electronic control unit. One trick that can bypass, for years, strict government test. But that was exposed when, in his way, he met a group of stubborn researchers at West Virginia University.

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