VW Cheats EPA Tests, Faces Up to $18 Billion in Fines

Unnamed sources within Volkswagen have confirmed that the German automaker fitted its “clean” TDi diesel cars with devices meant to detect when the car is undergoing official emissions testing, and will activate full emissions controls only during the official test. That confession comes after findings from West Virginia University, which uncovered the defeat devices, led to company officials being questioned by both CARB and the EPA.

The device in question deactivated key emissions controls systems, and the popular VW TDi modelsfitted with the cheat- a list that, so far, includes the VW Golf, Jetta, Beetle, and Passat TDi models, as well as the Audi A3 and A4- produced up to 40% more nitrogen oxide and other dangerous emissions, in some cases.

For its part, the EPA is absolutely losing its s*** about this, stating that “it is incumbent” on Volkswagen to initiate a recall fix for all the affected cars. “Using a defeat device in cars to evade clean air standards is illegal and a threat to public health,” said Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Working closely with the California Air Resources Board, (the) EPA is committed to making sure that all automakers play by the same rules. (The) EPA will continue to investigate these very serious matters.”

If the EPA and CARB decide to press the dual issues of Volkswagen deliberately cheating environmental testing procedures and marketing their TDi models as “clean diesels“, it could levy fines of up to 18 billion (with a b) US American dollars on VW. An amount which could be enough to force VW out of the US market.

What do you guys think about this mess? Should Volkswagen be held liable to fullest extent of the law for violating the public’s trust by willfully and maliciously manipulating the EPA test procedures? Should VW be given a slap on the wrist because we all love the Beetle? Is this just the tip of a fraudulent clean diesel iceberg that will soon sink Mercedes-Benz and BMW, too? Let us know what you think in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Source | Images: AutoGuide, IIHS.

Volkswagen Considering Golf GTD R

Volkswagen’s turbodiesel engines have long delivered exceptional fuel economy, but their performance can sometimes be lacking, even in the GTI-inspired Golf GTD. That would change if a twin-turbodiesel Golf GTD R is greenlighted by Volkswagen, as Motoring.com.au reports it might be.

The new MQB vehicle architecture means that drivetrains can be more easily swapped between different vehicles, and the Golf could be in line to get the Passat’s BiTurbo 2.0 liter engine. Adding this engine to the smaller and lighter Golf could make for a very potent R version, but with a more efficient and torquey diesel engine rather than the conventional gas motor. And while the 236 horsepower of the 2.0 liter engine falls short of the gas-powered Golf R’s 290 horsepower, the 368 lb-ft of torque from the diesel mill more than makes up for it. The Golf GTI makes 258 lb-ft of torque, and the R version makes just 280, while the electric e-Golf comes in at a decent 199 lb-ft of pulling power.

It would also make it the most powerful diesel engine ever installed by Volkswagen into a production Golf, and in the much larger Passat the BiTurbo 2.0 returned fuel economy of 5.3 liters/100 km, or about 44 MPG. There are complications though, specifically to do with the weight of the diesel engine; stuffed under the hood of the lighter and smaller Golf will mean sacrificing handling, especially if it lacks the Passat’s 4MOTION all-wheel drive system.

The question of if we’re ever going to get a performance-minded Golf GTD R remains open-ended, but the idea of a 40+ MPG hot hatchback with almost as much torque as a Chevy Camaro has tremendous potential. The issue will be overcoming the heavy front end, as the GTI has always been known as a quick and nimble competitor, and even with all that stump-pulling power, this idea might be better in theory than in practice.

Of course the only way to find out is to build one, and I’d be happy to volunteer my services as a test driver to Volkswagen.

Source: Gas 2.

VW decides against active-cooling system for e-Golf lithium battery

When the 2015 VW e-Golf was introduced at the LA Auto Show last year, VW said it would come with a water-cooled battery. During the Detroit Auto Show, when the car was trotted out again, VW released a new press release that stripped out the "water-cooled" language, but this change went unnoticed. During a recent VW event in Germany, a friend from Green Car Reports realized that the battery on display did not seem to have any water-cooling mechanisms. That set us off on a bit of a sleuthing and we have now learned that VW is not going to include any active cooling in the upcoming e-Golf. In fact, the company is entirely confident that this car - because of what it's designed to do - doesn't need it.

"The need for a cooling system wasn't there" - VW's Darryll Harrison

VW has been working on an electrified Golf for ages now, and so changes to the plan are to be expected. But battery cooling is vitally important not just to keep the car operating properly but because when things get too hot, there can be serious public relations problems. Nissan began testing a new battery chemistry for the Leaf in 2013 after an uproar from warm-weather EV drivers in Arizona who were experiencing worse-than-expected battery performance. The Leaf has always used an air-cooled battery, which is another way to say that there is no active cooling system (more details here). Tesla CEO Elon Musk once said this approach is "primitive." So, why is VW following the same path?

We asked Darryll Harrison, VW US's manager of brand public relations west, for more information, and he told AutoblogGreen that VW engineers discovered through a lot of testing of the Golf Mk6 EV prototypes, that battery performance was not impacted by temperatures when using the right battery chemistry. That chemistry, it turns out, is lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) in cells from Panasonic. These cells had "the lowest self-warming tendency and the lowest memory effect of all cells tested," Harrison said. He added that VW engineers tested the NMC cells in places like Death Valley and Arizona and found they didn't warm very quickly either through operation, charging (including during fast charging) or through high ambient temps. "The need for a cooling system wasn't there," Harrison said. Since the cells work so well, all the e-Golf needs to keep the battery pack at the right operating temperature is an intelligent thermal control (which regulates the amount of energy expended form each of the cells to keep the heat down) and the ability to dissipate what heat is created into the chassis and away from the pack.

The VW GTE plug-in hybrid does have a liquid-cooling system.

While we will have to see if the lack of an active-cooling system works in the real world when the e-Golf goes on sale, it's clear that it brings with it the additional benefit of lower weight. The ultimate function of everything in the e-Golf is to be efficient, even if that comes at the expense of high performance, Harrison said, so limiting the battery pack's performance to keep heat in check is appropriate. VW is playing a different game in the GTE, which does have a liquid-cooling system. That car is designed to be a hybrid-electric version of the sporty GTI. Since the dynamics are tuned for performance, the GTE's pack will be cared for in a different way than the gentleness at play in the e-Golf. It's an interesting strategy and one we'll be following closely from here on out.

For the record, we've included the detailed statement that Harrison emailed AutoblogGreen below.

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News Source: Volkswagen

VW Golf Plug-in Hybrid

The MkVII Volkswagen Golf will be available with hybrid power – a first for the Golf. And we’ve driven a prototype of the plug-in.

It’s based on the current three-door model, and featured a 1.4-litre TSI turbo petrol engine, boosted by an 80Kw electric motor. It also had a lithium-ion battery that can be topped up from the mains.

On the move, the plug-in Golf is very impressive indeed. Under most driving conditions it’s effectively an electric car – and you really need to press very hard on the throttle for the petrol engine to cut in at all.

In town, it’s fast enough for you to breeze through traffic. Plus, the motor is so powerful, the engine is barely used on high-speed roads.

VW says the Golf will have an electric-only range of around 30 miles and should be able to return 141mpg with overall CO2 emissions as low as 46g/km.

The new MQB platform will also allow designers to mount the battery and electric motor in a way that doesn’t encroach on passenger or luggage space.

Source: autoexpress.co.uk

VW will start selling Golf plug-in hybrid in 2015

Volkswagen will start selling a plug-in hybrid-electric (PHEV) version of the Golf in 2015 and has estimated that the car will be able to go as far as 30 miles in electric-only mode, AutoExpress is reporting.

The Golf PHEV will likely pair a 1.4-liter turbocharged gas engine with a 107-horsepower electric motor. The German automaker will show off a Golf PHEV concept vehicle at the Paris Motor Show this September, the website reported. PlugInCars cites a review on the UK-based AutoExpress website saying that the prototype was "very impressive" in a test drive.

VW last July unveiled a station-wagon prototype of the Golf "Twin Drive" PHEV. That car paired a 1.4-liter gas engine with an electric motor that provided 161 horsepower as well as 35 miles of electric-only range and more than 550 miles of range on a full tank. VW, which estimated the prototype's fuel economy at 112 miles per gallon-equivalent, planned at the time to build 20 Golf Twin Drive vehicles for testing.

Last summer, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn said in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport that he thought plug-in hybrids would be embraced by consumers at a far faster rate than battery-electric vehicles that don't provide a gasoline-powered option.



Source: Autoblog Green

Ford's Goal To Match Fuel Efficiency of VW Bluemotion Vehicles

2011 Ford Fiesta SES – Click above for high-res image gallery

Volkswagen's Bluemotion range of vehicles features numerous eco tweaks applied to enhance fuel economy. The umbrella term "Bluemotion Technology," which is seen in the branding of the Golf Blue-e-motion Bluemotion Passat and more, is VW speak for vehicles that "combine efficiency with comfort and refinement to create cars that deliver greater economy and fewer emissions, yet which remain conventional to drive, service and maintain." Many Bluemotion vehicles stand out among the pack due to their best-in-class fuel economy figures.

One company's best-in-class is another company's target, so it's no surprise that Ford has announced that it intends to develop vehicles that match the fuel-sipping abilities of the Bluemotion lineup. According to Ford's global product boss, Derek Kuzak, the key to achieving frugality is attention to every last detail. Ford will focus on reducing vehicle weight, lowering rolling resistance, improving aerodynamics and tweaking engines in an attempt to match VW's ultra-efficient Bluemotion vehicles such as the Polo, a car that features a 1.2-liter engine, stop-start technology and regenerative braking. The VW Polo Bluemotion emits a mere 87 grams per kilometer of CO2 and returns an astounding 85.6 miles per gallon (71.3 mpg U.S.). Let's see Ford match that!



Source: Autoblog Green