Dieselgate: US EPA investigates more VW software
As Germany tells its EU partners VW cheated in Europe, US searches for another 'cheat' code in dieselsTroubled Volkswagen is being targeted by another emissions-cheat investigation by the US Environmental Protection Agency, according to Reuters.
It is also under ever-greater pressure in Europe, with Germany’s Transport Minister writing to other EU nations, explaining that Volkswagen’s 'defeat' code software breached Article 5, Paragraph 2 of the European Union’s Regulation 715/2007.
The same cheater software that sees Volkswagen staring at billions of dollars of fines in the US had been the subject of speculation surrounding its compliance with European law and whether or not the cars used the cheat to limbo beneath the EU’s emissions laws. A Volkswagen spokesman last week even claimed it was not certain whether the code was illegal in Europe.
But Regulation 715/2007 bans “defeat” software devices, while making allowances for “limp-home” modes that allow damaged engines to keep going on reduced power or during engine start-up.
Volkswagen was working on the semantics of the “start-up” wordings, as the cars naturally operated in “start-up” mode in at least a part of the EU’s laboratory tests.
Meanwhile, in the US, the current 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engines in the German car-maker’s current Golf, Jetta and Passat models that are under the microscope.
The new investigation has come after Volkswagen itself admitted to the EPA that an internal inquiry revealed another possible defeat code, which worked differently to the one at the centre of the Dieselgate scandal.
The EA189 defeat code simply turned on the maximum NOx-cleaning systems only when it was being tested in a laboratory, because running the engines in their fully compliant settings used more fuel and hindered both performance and throttle response.
The new investigation centres on the warm-up strategy for the engines. The trouble for Volkswagen is that the strategy, which is directed by a piece of software to heat up the exhaust-cleaning catalyst faster to minimise emissions, is classified by the EPA as an “auxiliary emission control device” which needs to be declared in order to receive compliance. It wasn’t.
Volkswagen has withdrawn its application to sell the vehicles in the US until the EPA can get to the bottom of the potential new scandal.
Dieselgate related reading:
Germany issues compulsory recall
Audi clarifies 'inactive' claim
Aussie Volkswagens and Audis recalled
Dieselgate won't tarnish other German brands
Huge recall planned, other brands hit
Audis affected top two million
ACCC issues statement on VW emissions saga
Müller locked in as Volkswagen CEO
BMW forced to deny emissions rigging
Volkswagen boss Winterkorn to go as crisis spreads
Dieselgate worsens, 11m vehicles could be affected
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