EPA: VW evaded emissions rules in 10,000 SUVs
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The scandal over cheating on emissions testing by Volkswagen widened Monday when the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board said Volkswagen of America evaded diesel emissions rules in at least 10,000 Porsche, Audi and VW SUVs sold in the U.S. since 2014.
EPA said its new real-world testing shows VW Group was using software similar to that in its diesel cars to evade emissions rules in the 2014 VW Touareg, 2015 Porsche Cayenne, and 2016 Audi A6 Quattro, A7 Quattro, A8, A8L, and Q5. All are equipped with a 3-liter diesel engine and allegedly allow emissions of nitrogen oxide of up to nine times EPA’s standard. The 10,000 figure includes an unknown number of 2016 SUVs sold.
The 3-liter engine has been used in VW vehicles since 2009 in the United States, so the total number of vehicles may be far larger than initially estimated. EPA tested three diesel SUVs: a 2014 Touareg, 2015 Cayenne and 2016 Audi. The illegal software may be on thousands of other diesel SUVs sold, but testing by EPA, California and Canada is still ongoing.
“VW has once again failed its obligation to comply with the law that protects clean air for all Americans,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator of the Office for EPA’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “All companies should be playing by the same rules.”
EPA and the California board have been testing all diesel passenger vehicles on U.S. roads after VW’s admission in September that it illegally installed “defeat devices” in 11 million diesel cars worldwide that allow them to emit up to 40 times legally allowable pollution in on-road use, including 482,000 diesel cars in the United States since 2008.
VW admitted the cheating in the cars, but hasn’t issued a statement yet on the SUVs. VW is legally required to halt sales of vehicles that violate the Clean Air Act — as it was forced to do with 2016 cars.
California urged VW to come clean and admit if any other SUVs have “defeat devices” and said it would take that into account in assessing future penalties. VW must set up a meeting with California within three days to discuss the findings.
The EPA said its testing of other diesel vehicles on the road have shown no evidence yet of other automakers cheating, but said testing is ongoing.
The EPA says VW manufactured and installed software in the electronic control module of these vehicles that senses when the vehicle is being tested for compliance with EPA emissions standards. When the vehicle senses that it is undergoing a federal emissions test procedure, it operates in a low nitrogen oxide “temperature conditioning” mode. Under that mode, the vehicle meets emission standards.
Exactly one second after the completion of the initial phases of the standard test procedure, the vehicle transitions to “normal mode,” where emissions of nitrogen oxide increase up to nine times the EPA standard, depending on the vehicle and type of driving conditions.
The Justice Department and federal prosecutors in Detroit are leading a criminal investigation into VW’s admitted cheating. EPA has said VW could face up to $18 billion in fines along. VW faces more than 350 lawsuits around the country.
Richard Corey, executive officer of the California Air Resources Board, said along with Canada, regulators have been working to ensure no other cheating is taking place.
“Since then CARB, EPA and Environment Canada have continued test programs on additional diesel-powered passenger cars and SUVs. These tests have raised serious concerns about the presence of defeat devices on additional VW, Audi and Porsche vehicles. Today we are requiring VW Group to address these issues,” Corey said. “This is a very serious public health matter. ARB and EPA will continue to conduct a rigorous investigation that includes testing more vehicles until all of the facts are out in the open.”
VW hasn’t announced any fix for the vehicles and warned last month that it could take at least a year before a fix is ready for all vehicles. The EPA and California have refused to certify the 2016 diesel VW cars with 2-liter engines. VW has also issued a stop sale on remaining 2015 diesel cars in showrooms.
In Europe last month, VW said it was recalling 8.5 million vehicles in Europe, but hasn’t notified regulators what the fix is.
German prosecutors have raided VW offices. Regulators and other agencies around the world are also investigating.
The decision to allow higher pollution emissions will directly contribute to nearly 60 premature deaths in the United states, a new study from MIT and Harvard University researchers released last week found.
The study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters finds excess emissions from Volkswagen’s “defeat devices” will cause 59 people in the U.S. to die 10 to 20 years prematurely. VW didn’t comment on the research.
But the research said if all vehicles are recalled by the end of 2016, more than 130 additional early deaths may be avoided. Without a recall, the compounding impact of excess emissions would cause 140 people to die early.
The study found that the excess emissions contribute directly to 31 cases of chronic bronchitis and 34 hospital stays involving respiratory and cardiac conditions, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology news release
Individuals will experience about 120,000 minor restricted activity days, including work absences, and about 210,000 lower-respiratory symptom days, the study estimates.
In total, VW’s excess emissions are estimated to add $450 million in health expenses and other social costs. But if all vehicles are recalled by the end of 2016 an additional $840 million in health and other costs could be saved.
Volkswagen did not have a specific comment about the study but did provide a statement about the emission regulations: “Volkswagen has acknowledged that some of its vehicles did not comply with certain emissions regulations. We have suspended the sale of the affected vehicles and are working diligently to remedy the issue as soon as possible. The EPA has noted that the affected vehicles do not present a safety hazard and the cars remain legal to drive.”
Steven Barrett, the lead author of the paper and an associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT, said the goal was to give the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board a better sense of the impact.
Diesel vehicles emit nitrogen oxides, which react in the atmosphere to form fine particulate matter and ozone that can lead to smog and cause health problems.
The VW emissions scandal includes 482,000 U.S. vehicles with 2.0 liter diesel engines.
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