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The Ethics of Dieselgate

2016; Wiley; Volume: 40; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/misp.12060

1475-4975

Luc Bovens,

Risk Perception and Management

The Volkswagen Scandal: Reactions VW marketed supposedly "clean" TDI (Turbocharged Direct Injection) Diesel-models of the Jetta in 2009 and of the Golf in 2010 in the US market.This was in response to the EPA Tier 2 emission standards.What was challenging for Diesel engines in passenger cars were the very strict new standards on NOx, that is NO (Nitrogen Oxide) and NO 2 (Nitrogen Dioxide).NOx contributes to smog.VW's models supposedly did not need SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology-requiring a urea or AdBlue tank-to cut down on NOx emissions, but instead relied on the cheaper new LNT (Lean NOx Trap) technology.However, in reality, the NOx trap was not doing much.Instead, the cars were installed with software that detected when they were being tested and were programmed so that NOx emissions would indeed be minimal under test conditions.On the road NOx emission controls were turned off and emissions were far from complying with Tier 2 standards.In the 2012 TDI Diesel Passat model, VW actually did install SCR technology but to comply with EPA standards the urea tanks would have to be filled often.In order not to inconvenience consumers, they retained the software to manipulate emissions so that fewer urea refills were needed while the cars would still pass emission tests.Through independent testing 1 of NOx emission in on-the-road tests it was discovered that something was amiss.VW ultimately admitted to their scheme and the scandal broke in September 2015 when the EPA issued a formal notice of violation.There has been very little sympathy for VW.Car and Driver writes: "From a moral and legal standpoint, the fraud was a colossally bad decision" and calls it a "heinously bad, unethical, and trust-eroding decision that equally battered both its reputation and its market value." 2 Fortune Magazine places "Dieselgate" in a long row of scandals that have plagued VW and that are symptomatic of the VW culture.They paint a culture of ruthless management in which engineers could not admit defeat and, in the words of a company whistle-blower, resorted to manipulation of the NOx emissions controls as "an act of desperation." 3But there are a few lone voices that are putting up some kind of defence of VW. 1 Thompson et al., "In-Use Emissions Testing of Light-Duty Diesel Vehicles in the U.S." 2 Robinson, "Caught Black-Handed." 3 Smith and Parloff, "Inside Volkswagen's Diesel Fraud -Fortune." 4Peters, "No More Affordable Diesels -Courtesy of the EPA | The American Spectator.