VW Faces $17B Fine for Emissions Scam

I have a better understanding of electrostatic particulate and vortex separators. When I first saw a description of the ceramic DPFs, I did not have a high opinion. I can easily see a massive soot loading occurring especially in colder climates and the matrix getting too coked up to clean by ordinary means.

I have another project that involves a two-stroke and I would like to recover the blow-by oil for a second pass. Weight and volume is critical and electrical power limited so a vortex separator looks very attractive but that is for another day.

Bob Wilson

 

Typically massive soot loadings that require removal for maintenance are caused by failures like EGR system failures, though.

What doesn't help is that drivers are conditioned to treat check engine lights as minor, and continue driving, which is where you get a cracked DPF.

 

In regions(Europe) were the majority of cars are diesel, emission defeats to avoid costly repairs will be common. In regions(US) were they aren't common, most of the emission bypassing is for performance. People aren't spending thousands of dollars here to roll coal because the DPF is clogged.

Modifications to gasoline cars are more likely for performance, but the everyday people that have to drive older cars that need emission work do exist, and they might resort to emission bypass. With over 95% of the personal car fleet being gasoline, and the oldest one on the planet, that is a concern for the US, while it wouldn't be for Europe.

Gasoline emission systems are worry free at this point, but that wasn't always the case. Gasoline emission system technology probably has two decades of a head start on diesel emission technology. It needs work, but we are seeing improvements with time.

I don't want to abandon diesels because of the potential of renewable fuels. I don't know about the next gen vegetable oil derived diesels, but biodiesel does emit less particles than diesel. I think it is lower on everything except NOx, were there is a slight increase.

Do you happen to know the repair costs for other diesels? I expect Mercedes-Benz to be high on principle. More curious about the heavy duty pick ups. I know the labor cost for some Fords runs high, because the cab might have to be lifted for some work.

Picken's plan called for switching to NG for trucking, and I wouldn't be opposed to government support to expand refueling stations. Then hybrids might become more acceptable to the industry. Specially if it decides gasoline is better than dealing with diesel emission equipment.

Cummins did develop the ETHOS engine for light duty trucks with California. It is an E85 only engine that actually makes full use of the fuel. If E85 got to truck stations, and trucks used it, we might not have to worry about getting E15 in our cars.

I've heard that there were proposals for simple replacement filters on diesel exhaust, and CARB nixed them because they wanted something that would be maintenance free.

Even when it works fine, a DPF will eventually need to be replaced because of the ash build up. Of course, so do 3-way cats.

 

Your lucky day:

Source: Green Car Congress: Ford introduces new 2.0L EcoBlue diesel; fuel consumption cut by up to 13%



What I find telling is the USA diesels on this side of the pond are doing fine. But the Cruze diesel in EU failed if I misunderstood this: Green Car Congress: German report on VW diesel scandal finds large gap between lab and real-world NOx emissions for German automakers; 630K vehicles in voluntary recall

In German: http://www.bmvi.de/SharedDocs/DE/Anlage/VerkehrUndMobilitaet/Strasse/bericht-untersuchungskommission-volkswagen.pdf?__blob=publicationFile

Chevrolet Cruze 2.0 l Euro 5
Der Chevrolet erfüllt im NEFZ kalt den Grenzwert. Im
NEFZ warm zeigt sich eine deutliche Erhöhung auf das
mehr als 3-fache des Grenzwertes. Der NEFZ 10 °C-Test
zeigt einen NOx-Wert in der Höhe des 5-fachen Grenzwer-
tes. Alle NEFZ-Werte der PEMS-Straßenmessungen liegen
oberhalb des 8-fachen des Grenzwertes. Die RDE-Messung
liegt beim ca. 7-fachen des NOx-Grenzwertes. Die Messun-
gen erfolgten bei ca. 7 °C Außentemperatur.

Eine Stellungnahme der Opel AG als Vertreter von Chevro-
let in Deutschland bestätigt ein außente ...​

Bob Wilson

 

To add a little more confusion to the issue, it appears VW is doing well emissions-wise with some of its TDIs in Europe.

Tests reveal VW's diesels among cleanest and 70% of cars don't meet 2017 benchmark | Daily Mail Online

 

It is, by the way, worth noting that the European-market Cruze used a Daewoo engine, whereas the US-market one uses a Fiat/Opel engine.

 

Although VW 'screwed the pooch', it threw light on a systemic problem with EU diesels. VW has probably already been working on the fix but were a little late out of the gate. But note:

The testing also revealed that manufacturers should have much fewer problems getting their petrol cars to pass the new laws.

Just one of 45 Euro 6 petrol models was ranked outside the A to C grades. The three-cylinder Ford Focus was the standalone offender.

All hybrid Euro 6 models passed with A grades. ​

In contrast, the diesels were and are struggling and VW had some that sucked less. Baring some exceptional technological advance, there is no reason to see them doing better in the future until the poor performers add co$t equipment. If Europe decides to do life-cycle testing, the diesels will be faced with a resale and maintenance problem that are less severe from the gasoline and hybrids.

Bob Wilson

 

Hopefully we'll see that diesel show up in the F150, and it will still be biodiesel friendly. Current diesels from Ford and GM allow up to B20 or B25, while the German offerings are only B5 at most. It shouldn't be too difficult for it to meet EPA with the SCR already built in.

The ICCT had reports about the emission discrepancy some years ago. The issue in Europe seems to be a combination of an easy test cycle with laxer regulations. The EPA making diesels meet the same levels as gasoline cars has hindered diesel adoption in the short term by the increased cost from the emission controls. Long term, it is good for diesels. It is forcing an improvement in the technology. Better engine control is leading to longer life, and less drawbacks from the emission controls. Like it happened for gasoline engines in the early eighties.

Manufacturers are already turning to diesels for trucks, and they are actually reasonably sized ones. I won't rule out hybrids for that class, but past offerings fell short when compared to the ICE model in terms of payload, towing, and cost. Making the choice of the hybrid a trade of fuel economy vs. capability, while a diesel has the potential to deliver on both.

 

Although, there haven't been that many hybrid pickups - the list consists of, what, the Silverado/Sierra with a 5.3 V8, a few more lead-acid batteries, and a BAS that does a little bit of torque smoothing (and most of the fuel economy coming from it having stop-start); the Silverado/Sierra with an Atkinson-cycle 6.0 V8 and a 2-mode (really 6-mode, with the four fixed ratios) eCVT; and a new Silverado 5.3 V8 with eAssist (read: another BAS)?

Looks like the old 2-mode system was about as capable as the same era's 5.3 liter XFE in payload, while being faster... but towing caused it to nosedive in real world fuel economy. And there was the cost issue... but then the same cost issue exists for diesels with their added emissions equipment. And, I wonder how much of the 2-mode's towing limit issues were due to choices GM made for highway fuel economy - could a tow package 2-mode truck with a shorter rear end have been made? It's worth noting that it and the XFE shared the same 3.08 rear end, and the hybrid would likely have driven worse with an exhausted battery than the 5.3 due to extra weight.

 

The two mode system high light was the greatly improved city fuel economy; the highway wasn't much better than the ICE model. The tow rating of 6000lbs would work for many if they were honest about their needs, but it was short for those that really did use their truck for heavy duties, which are the ones likely to see the benefit of a good hybrid truck. The real downside was the cost. GM masked most of the actual cost by only offering on the loaded four door model, but the result was the same. To get a hybrid truck, the buyer had to pay about $10k more over the basic truck, that got worse fuel economy in the city, but could do everything, and maybe more, that the hybrid could.

GM is doing the same with the new diesel Colorado, but that is a money grab. The diesel buyer already know that diesels cost more, and the emission equipment increased that, but they already have an idea of what that cost is, and it is far from ten grand. More diesel competition will result in the option being available on lower trimmed models. Then diesels tend not to take the fuel economy hit when towing like gasoline trucks do.

GM seems to have greatly decreased the price of eAssist for those test trucks. Which is good, because the gains are going to be minor. Some of those for these trucks are also due to the newer 7 speed transmission. Being just start/stop and regen braking, it shouldn't result in degrading the truck capabilities over the ICE model.

Don't forget Toyota's SUVs. The RX and NX both have lower tow ratings than their ICE siblings, which don't require AWD to to have some amount of tow rating. The new Prius has improved on this front. It has a 750kg tow rating in Europe, but the Sonic/Aveo has a 1000kg/1100kg one depending on engine. Both still have zero in the US. Part of that is because the manufacturers have agreed to use a harder SAE procedure for determining tow rating. The other is that cheap fuel has made the upsell to a truck for towing easier.

 

It is worth noting that the heavy duty parallel hybrids seem to almost exclusively be Honda-style (with an electric motor between the ICE and a traditional transmission), with one exception, the Allison 2-mode bus transmissions (which don't have the four fixed ratios of the 2-mode pickup/SUV transmission). This includes Hino's current hybrid systems, too - either a 5-speed AMT, or a conventional automatic, behind the single MG. I'm guessing it's a weight and efficiency penalty at high power demand, and that's why it's not suitable for hauling?

And, there's some Ford and Aisin patents out there that look suspiciously like that's the layout that they were going to use for the Toyota/Ford joint Tundra/F-150 hybrid system, before Ford left the project to do it their own way.

 

Well, the current crop of car parallel hybrid systems are more powerful full hybrids vs. Honda's IMA, which was a step above a mild system. From reports on the Ioniq it seems that the control systems to make their operation seemless are now available. Plus, they also benefit more from a larger battery, which have also decreased in price.

In theory, they can be less costly for the same benefit than a power-split hybrid like HSD. They require smaller motors, and could share more components with ICE models. With a double clutch design, it is possible the motor could be taken out of circulation on the drive train if it is the weak link in regards to towing.

In this article on the Prius' tow rating, Toyota claims the previous lack was about overheating, sounds like the transaxle simply didn't have adequate cooling. New Toyota Prius Tech Adds Towing Capacity

Using a more conventional transmission with a parallel hybrid means the engineers have likely already solved to issue with its cooling.

 

Pissed me off again: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/27/business/international/vw-presentation-in-06-showed-how-to-foil-emissions-tests.html

A PowerPoint presentation was prepared by a top technology executive at Volkswagen in 2006, laying out in detail how the automaker could cheat on emissions tests in the United States.

Yet company executives repeatedly rejected proposals to improve the emissions equipment, according to two Volkswagen employees present at meetings where the proposals were discussed.

Even when regulators started asking questions in 2014, Volkswagen continued to install the cheating software for more than a year.

Volkswagen engineers at the company’s research and development complex in Wolfsburg realized that the emissions equipment in their newest diesel engine would wear out too quickly if it were calibrated to meet American pollution standards.

The software evolved over the years. It was later upgraded to detect other telltale signs of a regulatory test, like a steering wheel that was not moving,

“The vehicles of all manufacturers exceed various emissions limits in normal street use,” Volkswagen lawyers said in a court filing, which was obtained by The Times. They further argued that the differences between road emissions and lab emissions were tolerated by regulators.

… repeatedly rebuffed lower-ranking employees who submitted technical proposals for upgrading the emissions controls, according to the two people who attended meetings where the proposals were discussed. The management board rejected the proposals because of cost, the people said.

More effective emissions equipment would have made Volkswagen vehicles hundreds of dollars more expensive, without providing a benefit that customers could perceive.

An American law firm hired by Volkswagen to examine regulatory issues, Kirkland & Ellis, told the carmaker in an August 2015 memo that the previous record penalty was $100 million. The fine was imposed on Hyundai-Kia in 2014 for violating the limits on greenhouse gas emissions involving 1.1 million vehicles, or nearly twice as many cars as in Volkswagen’s case.

Signs of irregularities in Volkswagen cars were discovered in 2014 by a nonprofit group, the International Council on Clean Transportation, based on testing performed at West Virginia University. Still, Volkswagen continued to install defeat devices in its cars, including some Audi and Porsche models, until last year.

On Sept. 3, 2015, Volkswagen finally admitted to American regulators that diesel vehicles had a defeat device. Still, executives were shocked at the response.

Mr. Johnson said in a Jan. 19 internal memo, which was obtained by The Times, that he believed that Volkswagen still had four months “where we could discuss the issue privately.”​

It reads like the Ford 'Pinto' memos and GM ignition key. VW management acted as if they just had to pay a fine and agree not to do it again. They confused 'lack of technical means' as acquiescence … it is OK because we didn't get caught.

Bob Wilson

 

imagine if all their internal memo's were exposed? it would read like watergate.

 

If only vw realized how tough the consequences might be .... they could have taken appropriate action;
Delete delete delete delete.

.

 

can you blame them though? look at the velvet glove they're getting in europe.

 

From @1392 (wow!) "In this article on the Prius' tow rating, Toyota claims the previous lack was about overheating, sounds like the transaxle simply didn't have adequate cooling. New Toyota Prius Tech Adds Towing Capacity"

This takes me back to the olden days when people did forbidden towing with NHW11. They were advised to seek technical means to detect MG1 and MG2 temperatures. (contented, though rueful sigh).

Even here threads of the rich tapestry that is Prius show through...

 

I'm planning to send my last Graham miniscanner to some guys doing an oil study. The other one went with our 2003 Prius to our housekeeper.

The funny thing is the Prius transmission has no friction parts that are heat stressed by a tow load. Rather the heat comes from the counter-torque needed from MG1 to get engine power through to the wheels. So the extra heat is a by-product of the amount of power passing through the transmission.

A major source of heat release in the earlier Prius are are convective and radiation of the transaxle case. The inverter coolant channel is nice but only on one side and not really positioned to take much heat out.

In contrast, the Gen-4 transaxle uses the ATF to actively cool the stators. It then goes to an external radiator loop to be cooled and returned. The ATF oil pump is still engine driven BUT the gears 'sling up' ATF fluid up to the stators and take out their heat.

There is evidence that substantial motor-generator size and weight savings can be had by more aggressive coolant channels built-in to the stators. Smaller stators with higher current loads is the key to the next generation Toyota transaxles being smaller and more powerful.

Bob Wilson

 

Source: MINA Breaking News - German Automaker to recall 630,000 Diesel Cars in Europe

German Automaker to recall 630,000 Diesel Cars in Europe
Saturday, 23 April 2016

Five German automakers have agreed to recall a total of 630,000 diesel vehicles in Europe following an investigation into their emissions levels, officials said Friday.

Germany's transport minister, Alexander Dobrindt, identified the companies concerned as Mercedes, Opel Volkswagen and its subsidiaries Audi and Porsche.

The move followed a probe of 53 models by Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority that was sparked by revelations last year about Volkswagen's emissions test cheating.
. . . ​

Bob Wilson

​

 

good for bmw!