"What did the president know and when did he know it?" This critical question, asked by Senator Howard Baker Jr during the Senate committee investigation into the Watergate scandal, set in motion events that would ultimately lead to President Richard Nixon's exit from the White House. VW Group CEO Martin Winterkorn has already fallen on his sword, mere days after news broke of what's now become known as #dieselgate. Announcing his resignation, Winterkorn answered the question no-one yet had time to ask: "I am doing this in the interests of the company even though I am not aware of any wrong doing on my part."
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Winterkorn's claim was backed by the Executive Committee of VW's powerful Supervisory Board, which noted in a statement released afterward that "...Professor Dr. Winterkorn had no knowledge of the manipulation of the emissions data". So, if Winterkorn didn't know, who did?
A good place to start asking who knew what, and when did they know it, might be among the engineers credited with authoring a two-part article titledVolkswagen's New 2.0 L TDI Engine for the Most Stringent Emission Standards, published in the authoritative German engineering journal MTZ in May and June, 2008. They were (and their job titles as listed at the time of publication):
- Jens Hadler, Executive Director, Powertrain Development
- Falko Rudolph, Head of Diesel Engineering
- Richard Dorenkamp, Head of Department, Lowest Emission Engines and Exhaust Aftertreatments
- H. Stehr, Group Leader Diesel Engine Combustion
- J. Hilzendeger, Group Leader Diesel Engine Durability and Design
- Sebastian Kranzusch, Group Leader Power Electronics and Ignition, Drivetrain Electronics
- Martina Klösters, Development Engineer Exhaust Aftertreatments, Diesel Engine Development
- Dieter Mannigel, Software Design, US Diesel Engines, Drivetrain Electronics
- Burkhard Veldten, Group Leader Software Design, Diesel Engine Electronics/Powertrain, Drivetrain Electronics
The article discusses in great technical detail how VW's EA189 2.0-liter four cylinder turbodiesel was "redeveloped to comply with the strictest exhaust fume limits in the world, namely the Tier 2, Bin 5 emission legislation in the USA" for launch in the U.S. market Jetta in mid-2008. A technical highlight of the program was "the implementation of an NOx exhaust gas aftertreatment system".
New engine components, such as an optimized injection system, a low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation system and a new method of cylinder pressure control, the authors claimed, required "thedevelopment of new control algorithms[italics added for emphasis] and intensive coordination of parameters for this entirely new combustion process".
But it's the summary that, in the context of the scandal now enveloping VW Group, makes perhaps the most interesting reading. The authors claimed VW was able to reduce particulate and NOx emissions from the EA189 engine by more than 90 percent. Moreover: "Adherence to the emission valuesunder customer conditions has been proven in the USA[italics added for emphasis] with a large fleet of vehicles and taking the climatic and geographic conditions into account."
The authors noted a key factor in the endurance tests was the effects U.S. diesel fuel quality had on the engine. "One aim of the development," they state, "was therefore tokeep fuel consumption constant when compared with previous models[italics added for emphasis] in spite of the high requirements in terms of assuring the function of emissions-relevant components."
The key data point that sparked this whole affair was the discrepancy between the EA189's official EPA fuel efficiency rating and its significantly better real-world fuel consumption numbers. No-one could figure out exactly how VW could get the EA189 engine to meet U.S. emissions standards and still deliver great performance and fuel efficiency without using urea aftertreatment.
The #dieselgate smoking gun? It's right here somewhere.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by cars. My father was a mechanic, and some of my earliest memories are of handing him wrenches as he worked to turn a succession of down-at-heel secondhand cars into reliable family transportation. Later, when I was about 12, I’d be allowed to back the Valiant station wagon out onto the street and drive it around to the front of the house to wash it. We had the cleanest Valiant in the world.
I got my driver’s license exactly three months after my 16th birthday in a Series II Land Rover, ex-Australian Army with no synchro on first or second and about a million miles on the clock. “Pass your test in that,” said Dad, “and you’ll be able to drive anything.” He was right. Nearly four decades later I’ve driven everything from a Bugatti Veyron to a Volvo 18-wheeler, on roads and tracks all over the world. Very few people get the opportunity to parlay their passion into a career. I’m one of those fortunate few.
I started editing my local car club magazine, partly because no-one else would do it, and partly because I’d sold my rally car to get the deposit for my first house, and wanted to stay involved in the sport. Then one day someone handed me a free local sports paper and said they might want car stuff in it. I rang the editor and to my surprise she said yes. There was no pay, but I did get press passes, which meant I got into the races for free. And meet real automotive journalists in the pressroom. And watch and learn.
It’s been a helluva ride ever since. I’ve written about everything from Formula 1 to Sprint Car racing; from new cars and trucks to wild street machines and multi-million dollar classics; from global industry trends to secondhand car dealers. I’ve done automotive TV shows and radio shows, and helped create automotive websites, iMags and mobile apps. I’ve been the editor-in-chief of leading automotive media brands in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The longer I’m in this business the more astonished I am these fiendishly complicated devices we call automobiles get made at all, and how accomplished they have become at doing what they’re designed to do. I believe all new cars should be great, and I’m disappointed when they’re not. Over the years I’ve come to realize cars are the result of a complex interaction of people, politics and process, which is why they’re all different. And why they continue to fascinate me.Read More
