Automotive News: U.S. Sues Fiat Chrysler for Diesel Emissions Violations, Cheat code: researchers reveal software behind Volkswagen's emissions scandal
U.S. Sues Fiat Chrysler for Diesel Emissions Violations
The U.S. Justice Department sued Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV over claims its diesel-powered pickups and SUVs were outfitted with illegal software that allowed them to pass laboratory emissions tests.
The complaint filed Tuesday alleges that nearly 104,000 vehicles with 3.0 liter EcoDiesel engines were equipped with software “defeat devices” that caused the vehicles’ emission control systems to perform differently, and less effectively, during certain normal driving conditions than on laboratory emissions tests, according to a statement from the Environmental Protection Agency. read more »
Cheat code: researchers reveal software behind Volkswagen's emissions scandal
Researchers have uncovered the software code that Volkswagen used to cheat on emissions tests.
The scandal, which broke in 2015, affected millions of diesel cars built during a six-year period between 2009 and 2015, and cost the German automaker billions of dollars in fines and refitting costs.
A team of international researchers led by Kirill Levchenko, a computer scientist at the University of California San Diego, has conducted a year-long investigation into the software used in the cars. The researchers found copies of the illegal code on the company’s own maintenance website, and on forums run by car enthusiasts. read more »
German Prosecutors Search Daimler Offices in Diesel Emissions Inquiry
German prosecutors searched the offices of Daimler, the automaker that produces Mercedes cars, on Tuesday as part of an investigation into whether the company improperly evaded emissions rules.
The raids signal a deepening inquiry into Daimler, which had already said that several federal and state authorities in Europe and the United States were investigating the emissions control systems used in Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Daimler is one of several European automakers that have attracted the attention of regulators on both sides of the Atlantic over emissions standards.
Most notably, Volkswagen has had to pay billions of dollars in settlements and fines over diesel deception, and several of its executives have been investigated or charged. More recently, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles held talks with the Department of Justice to settle an investigation into a similar scandal, although the financial damage was not expected to be as severe as it was in Volkswagen’s case. read more »
