billion in penalties and compensation. The reputation of a brand very touched. Governments ask for explanations and threaten to take drastic action not only against the brand, but also for greater control of emissions, and approvals. Everyone has learned what the NOx (or has at least heard of them) which approvals are unrealistic or diesel as clean. Volkswagen fraud (see list of affected engines) will change the automotive industry, and these are the six issues that we believe that this industry will never be the same again .
1. The CO 2 is not the only product of combustion that we have to worry .
Dossier: Emissions of NOx in 7 questions and answers, why is this so dangerous pollutant? Why is so severe the Volkswagen case?
In recent days there is talk of diesel emissions and approvals. But the real cause of all the fuss has been the NOx, and the techniques used by Volkswagen for approval cycles EPA US diesel engines emit less NOx. The automotive industry has evolved according to different trends, energy crisis that forced manufacturers to get serious with the issue of consumption, concern about pollution in large cities led to the use of catalytic converters and particulate filters, with threat of “global warming” which advocated limiting emissions of CO 2 .
The Volkswagen case reminded us that NOx emissions are a serious problem for our cities . It is so far the automobile industry had not realized this fact and NOx were one of the main objectives of the Euro VI emissions regulations that took effect this year. But the crisis of Volkswagen has not done anything to remind us all, producers, industry professionals and customers, so that there is a major problem, or greater, than that of CO 2 , the NOx. See dossier on emissions of NOx, 7 questions and answers.
Concern for the NOx shift slightly to public enemy number one in recent years, the CO 2 .
And understand that from now our rulers also be concerned by these emissions. Does it make sense that the registration tax rely solely on emissions of CO 2 of our cars and most passenger cars sold are exempt from paying for their approval? other factors such as NOx emissions should come into play? Definitely yes, and probably one of the consequences of the Volkswagen case.
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2. approval cycles are not realistic and capable of handling .
10 ways to manipulate homologated consumption and emissions (to be so different from actual)
If a manufacturer designs a methodology, in this case a “defeat device”, to manipulate the test cycle, are doing everything possible to make this cycle respond to the reality of driving a car? Absolutely not. Beyond the fact recognized by Volkswagen, and focusing on the cycle used in Europe, the NEDC , we have seen as there are countless techniques for a car homologue fuel consumption and emissions, lower, not necessarily will result in lower fuel consumption and emissions in the reality of his driving. See 10 ways to manipulate homologated consumption and emissions.
Although it is true that approval cycles attempt to bring the customer mainly two figures, the consumption of your vehicle (and usually combined cycle) and CO emissions 2 (which also condition the registration tax of your car), in practice, and as has been made clearer than ever the case of Volkswagen, these figures are rarely that we get close to our real driving .
Let us assume that the industry has to cope approval protocols emission and consumption will be reviewed.
Create a new methodology that approaches us actual figures is very expensive, mainly because the technical approval should be reviewed, and would likely include the use of mobile devices for a thorough analysis of emissions and consumption outside the dynamometer.
Although far, it is possible that the future of the approval of consumption and emissions of a car was there before and we had not seen . If it is expected that in 2016 4 out of 10 cars produced are connected cars, either to tweet states while driving, or listen to streaming music, why not seize this moment to create databases, and playing with the big data , adjusting consumption of a car based on weighted averages of actual consumption that derive their users?
3. The end of the diesel? Probably not, but a good drubbing .
8 reasons to not buy diesel, especially for city
Volkswagen fraud has highlighted different issues. NOx is a very harmful pollutant, which may not have been giving it the importance it has. Diesel, especially diesel, have a problem with the NOx. Consequently, diesel may not be as clean as it looks .
Perhaps no environmental issue stalling both the buyer , which ultimately seeks savings, more competitive option in which to invest their money. But if it mattered to him at the time that lawmakers fail to benefit the diesel . For years they are proposing drastic measures to tackle pollution problems such as those that have forced the restriction of movement by odd and even number plates in Paris. Paris went on to establish a roadmap toward banning diesel. Volkswagen scandal is even encouraging many countries to raise similar measures, including a ban on diesel.
I am convinced that the buyer of diesel, mainly, will continue to buy diesel. For now. But if some steps to go slowly undermining the benefits of diesel are taken – that there are fewer – you may go their importance in Europe slowing, for gasoline engines and especially for hybrid and electrical (and plug-in hybrids).
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4. The software our cars can not shield themselves .
Danger: John Deere and other manufacturers want to destroy the concept of car ownership
A few months ago we told you about different movements that are taking place in the software industry to shield our cars. Many manufacturers are asking for for years, seeking protection from the Copyright Office of the United States to protect the software from their vehicles, so that the owner can not access this, whether their purpose is malicious or not . This protection is intended to prevent anyone from finding out what is happening inside the vehicle, in the part that concerns the software.
Those who argued that protection protected themselves in arguments such as greenhouse gas emissions. Software manipulation can lead to any client modify the performance of your vehicle, and therefore cause emissions to rise above the initial figures, which received its approval.
The irony is that had there been such protection, it is likely that researchers and engineers from the University of Virginia would never have been able to uncover the scandal Volkswagen .
I’m afraid the Volkswagen fraud will not prevent manufacturers continue to press for its final end, to avoid the pain of very serious penalties, customers and third parties to access the software from their vehicles. But at least this seems a good argument for opposing the measure.
5. Officially we have entered the era of millionaire calls to review .
common platforms, global car and calls millionaire review. What is coming
United States coughs, Europe catches a cold. For years we have been warning of what can happen from now. The news of a recall of eleven million cars worldwide might not be that, news. Today, our cars are like a huge LEGO composed of different blocks shared with other cars likely to be very different, and even look different brand emblem . This situation is not new, but in recent years manufacturers have done nothing to increase the modularity of its products to be more competitive. Products which, incidentally, almost unchanged marketed worldwide in such diverse markets as the USA, China, and Europe.
When I talked about calls to review millions precisely we mentioned the case of Volkswagen, not knowing that in just over a year we would find a real example to illustrate perfectly what we wanted to tell.
Calls to revision in the order of tens of millions of cars with problems will cease to be a story, or a record.
Volkswagen produces ten million cars a year, of which share many parts such as engines and transmissions . So that an error (whether malicious or not) as the introduction of a line of malignant code (the defeat device) has been translated into eleven million affected cars, which may have to be called to review dozens of very different models together, a lot of affected brands (Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT , Skoda), and a global crisis that is raging in almost all markets where they are present.
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6. The hierarchy of brands and protocols revised (for the account that brings) .
The issue of calls for review of General Motors and why car safety will never be the same
The case of Volkswagen regards pollution, but the issue we have dealt with such a tricky business, or more, such as security, in case of the latest calls for review of General Motors.
Latest reports say that Bosch provided the souped software , the “defeat device”, a Volkswagen (according to Frankfurter Allgemeine and Bild am Sonntag). Bosch says that Volkswagen also warned that this software could only be used in preliminary testing of their products and production units equipped to be a fraud. This is what some German media published today, but Bosch did not give details as should reveal confidential agreements with the mark (Automotive News). From other media it is noted that in 2011 an engineer at Volkswagen already noticed the presence of this illegal software.
Meanwhile, still present the question of whether after the scandal was the dome of Volkswagen, including the now ex-CEO of the group, Martin Winterkorn; whether it is a vendetta directed by stakeholders in the collapse of Volkswagen; and if he could do something to avoid getting into this situation.
Manufacturers have to create structures that prevent failure, malicious or not, will lead to a crisis with such catastrophic event such as the Volkswagen consequences.
Winterkorn could face criminal liability . And so that we talk about a subject that concerns the safety of their cars, and evidently did not cause injuries or deaths. As in the United States and has opened a debate that aims to serious consequences, up to life imprisonment, for those manufacturers who are aware of a security issue in its products and not initiate the normal channels to solve (notify the transportation agency , to open an investigation, conduct a recall …)
In motor:
Dossier: Emissions of NOx in 7 questions and answers, why is this so dangerous pollutant? Why is so severe the Volkswagen case?
10 ways to manipulate homologated consumption and emissions (to be so different from actual)
The issue of calls for review of General Motors and why car safety will never be the same
8 reasons to not buy diesel, especially for city
Danger: John Deere and other manufacturers want to destroy the concept of car ownership