Automakers are under intense pressure to meet emissions regulations put in place by the world's governments. Volkswagen had a slightly different solution.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered a recall of 500,000 Volkswagen and Audi vehicles equipped with four-cylinder diesel engines for software designed to sidestep emissions regulations, reports the New York Times.
In total, 482,000 vehicles are being recalled including the 2009-2015 Volkswagen Golf, Beetle, Jetta and Beetle, the 2014-2015 Volkswagen Passat and the 2009-2015 Audi A3. The cars were installed with a "defeat device," a piece of software designed to detect when the car is undergoing emissions testing and turn on all of the car's emissions control systems then. In normal driving, the systems would turn off, causing 40 times larger nitrogen oxide emissions, according to the E.P.A.
Nitrogen oxide is a major contributor to smog, which can lead to increased respiratory problems and premature death.
The installation of this software is in violation of the Clean Air Act, and as such, the E.P.A, the State of California and the Department of Justice will launch an investigation.
U.S. regulators hope that this recall will send a message to automakers to not develop software to skirt regulations. Last November, Hyundai and Kia were fined $100 million for violating the Clean Air Act. The two companies inflated their fuel economy figures for their 2012 vehicles.
The likely reason why Volkswagen went through the trouble to develop and use software like this is to boost performance; emissions control equipment tends to suck power out of an engine, and Volkswagen probably didn't want to sell a slower car that met regulations.
Researchers from West Virginia University, working with the International Council on Clean Transportation, discovered the software, according to the EPA's press release.
"Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., Volkswagen AG and Audi AG received today notice from the US Environmental Protection Agency, US Department of Justice and the California Air Resources Board of an investigation related to certain emissions compliance matters. VW is cooperating with the investigation; we are unable to comment further at this time," said a representative for Volkswagen.
A representative for the EPA wasn't immediately available for comment.
It's unclear if this issue only pertains to U.S. model Volkswagens and Audi's equipped with four-cylinder diesels, or their world-market counterparts as well.
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