According to latest reports, Volkswagen, the German car giant, is engulfed in a major scandal. Environmental groups such as International Council on Clean Transportation spotted the company’s fraud and have warned for years that car emission tests are being “gamed” by the industry.
West Virginia University’s Center for Alternative Fuels Engines and Emissions received a request from the International Council on Clean Transportation for a project to compare U.S. diesel car performance with European models.
Three faculty members and two graduate students worked on the study. They installed emission-monitoring equipment on the vehicles. But unlike standard tests for checking emissions, the cars weren’t run on a stationary test bed, instead the group took them out and drove them hundreds of miles and measured pollutants along the way, the Wall Street Journal reported.
What they discovered was rather baffling: The BMW’s emission results during the test drives matched or came in under what the vehicles produced in laboratory tests. But the VWs were emitting far more than they were supposed to.
Volkswagen admitted to U.S. regulators that it programmed its car to detect when they were being tested and alter the running of their diesel engines to conceal their true emissions, according to Reuters. The company says 11 million cars globally may be affected and experts note that diesel-fuelled cars account for just 3 percent of passenger vehicles in America, compared with some 50 percent in Europe.
Following the scandal, Martin Winterkorn, Volkswagen Chief Executive, resigned on Wednesday. He said:
"I am shocked by the events of the past few days. Above all, I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group.
"As CEO I accept responsibility for the irregularities that have been found in diesel engines and have therefore requested the Supervisory Board to agree on terminating my function as CEO of the Volkswagen Group. I am doing this in the interests of the company even though I am not aware of any wrongdoing on my part.
"Volkswagen needs a fresh start - also in terms of personnel. I am clearing the way for this fresh start with my resignation.
"I have always been driven by my desire to serve this company, especially our customers and employees. Volkswagen has been, is and will always be my life.
"The process of clarification and transparency must continue. This is the only way to win back trust. I am convinced that the Volkswagen Group and its team will overcome this grave crisis."
