Five years ago Volkswagen got caught installing devices designed to trick emission control monitors. These so called 'defeat devices' would reduce the vehicles performance during tests to meet emission requirements. During regular driving, they would boost vehicle performance while allowing cars to emit as much as 40 times more pollution than what is allowed under emission standards. Having been forced to recall about 9 million vehicles, in addition to paying a countless number of fines and lawsuits, the Volkswagen sandal ended up costing the company around 30 billion dollars. This punishment will hopefully deter other companies from trying to cheat the system. However, it wont stop people from modifying their own vehicles.
A new report by the EPA's Office of Civil Enforcement, shows a problem still exists with vehicles today; by way of aftermarket modifications. Marketed legally as a performance enhancement technology, these devices are being modified to cheat emissions and serve as the aforementioned 'defeat devices'.
Drew Kodjak, the executive director of the International Council on Clean Transportation, who alerted the EPA of these devices, said, 'This is far more alarming and widespread than the Volkswagen scandal. Because these are trucks, the amount of pollution is far, far higher.'
According to the EPA's report, these modifications will allow trucks to release more than 570,000 tons of nitrogen dioxide. That's 10 times more than the illegal Volkswagen vehicles. Even worse, these are more difficult to enforce. The EPA has shut down some manufactures of the diesel-tuner market, but there are a lot of small businesses in play. And again, these devices are not illegal. Only after they are modified do they become illegal.
As we see in the market, there is a demand for these 'defeat devices'. Making such devices illegal is an attempt by the government to cut off the supply. However, when the demand still exists, black markets are created. Or, in this case, loopholes are exploited to get their devices back on the market as 'diesel tuners'. One possible solution does exist. Emission inspectors could test the tailpipe emissions instead of reading the computer. This would be an expensive change for new technology and for additional time consumed during testing. It's up to the states to decide if the benefits of reducing emissions from these vehicles would outweigh the higher costs involved for improved emissions testing.
-Steven Brown
Sources:
Volkswagen: The scandal explained - BBC News
Illegal Tampering by Diesel Pickup Owners Is Worsening Pollution, E.P.A. Says
VW Is Said to Cheat on Diesel Emissions; U.S. to Order Big Recall
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