VW diesel emissions found to be much higher than claimed!
After fitting approximately 500,000 vehicles with code that tricked regulators into under-recording noxious emissions, it has been discovered that VW diesel emissions are much higher than we’ve been led to believe!
The public perception of diesel engines seems to be that of an “environmentally-friendlier” source of fuel. This attitude has has particular prevalence in Europe, making up 75% of all diesel car engines sold.
While it may be true that disel engines emit less carbon and can be more energy efficient than petrol engines, they have other problems that make them potentially very harmful to the environment.
Diesel engines generate higher nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx), which in combination with organic compounds and sunlight – result in pollutants that cause smog, respiratory illness and increased chances of death from heart and lung disease. Children and those who suffer from respiratory diseases such as asthma, are particularly susceptible to adverse effects of smog and its resulting damage to the lungs.
Manipulating sustainability performance data in order to achieve a greater market share is not only incredibly unethical, but it will have a significant effect on VW’s performance in the future. VW faces criminal charges in the US, which is sure to have a negative impact on the economic performance of the company.
This occurring just after VW had overtaken Toyota as the number one car manufacturer in the world. VW claim that they will put aside 6.5b euros in order to cover the costs of making the cars comply with pollution standards.
“You have power, you have energy, you have emissions: You get to choose two of them,”
said Don Hillebrand, the director of energy systems research at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, and the former president of the Society for Automotive Engineers.
It looks like they wanted it all, but as it turns VW diesel emissions are much higher than they’ve led us to believe.