EU emission regulations is out of control, it has many loopholes and some of them are so big you can drive an 18 wheeler through it.
Originally Posted By: forbes.com
When dieselgate broke last September, automakers and auto writers the world over tried to paint it as an incident isolated to rogue Volkswagen. This reporter disagreed, stating that the problem was and is widespread through the industry. This of course did not earn the reporter popularity points. In one incident, I received thinly veiled threats of libel and slander, made by a bullying representative of Europe’s ACEA auto manufacturer association. Truth is the best defense against libel, they say, and the truth is coming out in spades.
Originally Posted By: forbes.com
This morning, “South Korea said that Nissan Motor Co Ltd had manipulated emissions on a diesel sport utility vehicle and that it planned to fine the automaker as well as sue the head of its Korean operations,” wrote Reuters.
In April, Mitsubishi Motors admitted to manipulating fuel consumption data of its cars. The scandal led to the end of Mitsubishi’s independence.
Last week, GM admitted to overstating the fuel consumption of some of its crossovers.
Originally Posted By: forbes.com
On Saturday, Germany’s Spiegel Magazin reported of a class action suit brought against Daimler AG, its CEO Dieter Zetsche, and its R&D chief Thomas Weber. The suit claims consumers were duped by Daimler’s claim that its “BlueTec cars are the world’s cleanest diesel.”
Last week, Germany was rocked by serious allegations that GM’s European Opel arm is using a number of defeat devices in two of its diesel cars. Opel has been summoned to appear in front of an investigative committee of Germany’s Transport Ministry this week. Netherland’s RDW, the regulator that issued the EU type approval of Opel’s Zafira Diesel, is considering a recall, and possibly (but unlikely) a loss of the type approval, Germany’s ARD News says.
Originally Posted By: forbes.com
These short excerpts from my bulging dieselgate files should dispel any notions that Volkswagen is the sole villain, and that the rest of the auto industry is all saints. Allow me a few comments and amplifications to the above.
According to the relevant EU rules, “the use of defeat devices that reduce the effectiveness of emission control systems shall be prohibited,” except in cases where automakers decide to use them. “The prohibition shall not apply,” say the rules, when “the need for the device is justified in terms of protecting the engine against damage or accident and for safe operation of the vehicle.” Carmakers make wide, and sometimes liberal use of this handy provision.
Originally Posted By: forbes.com
GM’s Opel arm admitted to doing just that. By sheer happenstance, EU specifications say that tests are to be performed at temperature between 20 and 30 centigrade, the only temperature band where Opel somewhat reliably keeps its emission controls running. Even that would not be illegal according to the generous EU rules. Opel is in hot water because it allegedly turned off emissions control in a number of other situations that don’t fit through generous EU loopholes.
The International Council on Clean Transportation, the same group that made the Volkswagen dieselgate scandal public, just published a white paper that shows “vehicle manufacturers systematically exploiting technical tolerances and imprecise definitions in the procedures.” The ICCT’s study lists Opel’s Insignia and Astra, Volkswagen’s Passat, and Peugeot’s 207 as the leading test-lab beauticians (see chart.)
Originally Posted By: forbes.com
Interestingly, the most sensible approach to ending the ongoing dieselgate disasters come from Gaspar Gascon-Abellan, head of engineering at Nissan’s partner Renault. At the sidelines of the Beijing Auto Show, he told me that as long as the regulations are full of huge loopholes, one should not blame the industry for using them. “If we don’t, we’d simply cede our business to those who do,” Gascon-Abellan said. “We follow the loose rules now, to the letter. Make tight rules, and we will follow them again, to the letter.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bertelschmit...m/#10ace722245e
Originally Posted By: forbes.com
When dieselgate broke last September, automakers and auto writers the world over tried to paint it as an incident isolated to rogue Volkswagen. This reporter disagreed, stating that the problem was and is widespread through the industry. This of course did not earn the reporter popularity points. In one incident, I received thinly veiled threats of libel and slander, made by a bullying representative of Europe’s ACEA auto manufacturer association. Truth is the best defense against libel, they say, and the truth is coming out in spades.
Originally Posted By: forbes.com
This morning, “South Korea said that Nissan Motor Co Ltd had manipulated emissions on a diesel sport utility vehicle and that it planned to fine the automaker as well as sue the head of its Korean operations,” wrote Reuters.
In April, Mitsubishi Motors admitted to manipulating fuel consumption data of its cars. The scandal led to the end of Mitsubishi’s independence.
Last week, GM admitted to overstating the fuel consumption of some of its crossovers.
Originally Posted By: forbes.com
On Saturday, Germany’s Spiegel Magazin reported of a class action suit brought against Daimler AG, its CEO Dieter Zetsche, and its R&D chief Thomas Weber. The suit claims consumers were duped by Daimler’s claim that its “BlueTec cars are the world’s cleanest diesel.”
Last week, Germany was rocked by serious allegations that GM’s European Opel arm is using a number of defeat devices in two of its diesel cars. Opel has been summoned to appear in front of an investigative committee of Germany’s Transport Ministry this week. Netherland’s RDW, the regulator that issued the EU type approval of Opel’s Zafira Diesel, is considering a recall, and possibly (but unlikely) a loss of the type approval, Germany’s ARD News says.
Originally Posted By: forbes.com
These short excerpts from my bulging dieselgate files should dispel any notions that Volkswagen is the sole villain, and that the rest of the auto industry is all saints. Allow me a few comments and amplifications to the above.
According to the relevant EU rules, “the use of defeat devices that reduce the effectiveness of emission control systems shall be prohibited,” except in cases where automakers decide to use them. “The prohibition shall not apply,” say the rules, when “the need for the device is justified in terms of protecting the engine against damage or accident and for safe operation of the vehicle.” Carmakers make wide, and sometimes liberal use of this handy provision.
Originally Posted By: forbes.com
GM’s Opel arm admitted to doing just that. By sheer happenstance, EU specifications say that tests are to be performed at temperature between 20 and 30 centigrade, the only temperature band where Opel somewhat reliably keeps its emission controls running. Even that would not be illegal according to the generous EU rules. Opel is in hot water because it allegedly turned off emissions control in a number of other situations that don’t fit through generous EU loopholes.
The International Council on Clean Transportation, the same group that made the Volkswagen dieselgate scandal public, just published a white paper that shows “vehicle manufacturers systematically exploiting technical tolerances and imprecise definitions in the procedures.” The ICCT’s study lists Opel’s Insignia and Astra, Volkswagen’s Passat, and Peugeot’s 207 as the leading test-lab beauticians (see chart.)
Originally Posted By: forbes.com
Interestingly, the most sensible approach to ending the ongoing dieselgate disasters come from Gaspar Gascon-Abellan, head of engineering at Nissan’s partner Renault. At the sidelines of the Beijing Auto Show, he told me that as long as the regulations are full of huge loopholes, one should not blame the industry for using them. “If we don’t, we’d simply cede our business to those who do,” Gascon-Abellan said. “We follow the loose rules now, to the letter. Make tight rules, and we will follow them again, to the letter.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bertelschmit...m/#10ace722245e
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