Consumer Reports: Did Volkswagen Use 'Cheat Mode' as a Selling Point?

http://www.consumerreports.org/volkswagen/did-volkswagen-use-cheat-mode-as-a-selling-point?EXTKEY=NC0N01510

Volkswagen promoted the fact that its Diesel engines acted differently on the road than in the EPA labs.

By Jake Fisher
Last updated: October 19, 2015

Volkswagen admitted in late September that it had been gaming EPA tests by using an “emissions defeat device” to manipulate the nitrogen oxides (NOx) output of its diesel vehicles.

The vehicles’ software was programmed to pass emissions testing performed by the EPA. But once on the open road, the cars would pollute NOx at up to 40 times the federal maximum. According to Volkswagen, 11 million cars are affected worldwide.

EPA tests both emissions and fuel economy on a dynamometer, which this emissions defeat device was designed to detect. Emissions were suppressed in this “cheat mode”—but fuel economy was too. However, once the cars were no longer on the dynamometer, the cheat mode turned off. That meant that in real world driving conditions, the diesel cars not only started polluting again, but they also could get better fuel economy.

Volkswagen has tried to portray the emissions-cheating software as a mistake that slipped through the corporate cracks—laying much of the blame on some rogue engineers.

FULL story and video at link.