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How Did Volkswagen Cheat Emissions Tests, and Who Authorized It?
Lucas123 writes: The method by which Volkswagen diesel cars were able to thwart emissions tests and spew up to 40X the nitrogen oxide levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency was relatively simple. It was more likely no more than a single line of code used to detect when an emissions test was being performed and place the emissions system in an alternate mode — something as simple as a software "on/off" switch. Volkswagen AG CEO Martin Winterkorn, who stepping down as the result of his company's scandal, has said he had no knowledge of the emissions cheat, but software dev/test audit trails are almost certain to pinpoint who embedded the code and who authorized it. You can actually see who asked the developer to write that code," said Nikhil Kaul, a product manager at test/dev software maker SmartBear Software. "Then if you go upstream you can see who that person's boss was...and see if testing happened...and, if testing didn't happen. So you can go from the bottom up to nail everyone."
It's been a while since I watched my car being tested but do they hook up the car to a computer terminal of some sort? Could those be used to trigger test mode?
The test mode was triggered by monitoring which wheels were turning, position of the steering wheel, etc.
Basically they wanted to avoid the cost of installing a urea injection system so they cheated instead. Honda engineers were reported to be perplexed about how they managed to do this miraculous feat of engineering.
Here's a good article about what is known so far:
http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos...
According to news reports (BBC etc.) it used a combination of inputs. Steering wheel position, barometric pressure variation over time, rate of acceleration, speed, g sensor stability etc.
Also, to enable the cheat mode the engine would have had to load a different set of operating parameters. Those parameters must be stored somewhere, and doubtless constitute more than a single line of code.
Some thought must have gone into this fraud.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Definitely been going on for at least 17 years, and many other companies besides VW are getting caught.
"On October 22, 1998, the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency announced an $83.4 million total penalty against diesel manufacturers, the largest civil penalty ever for violation of environmental law...The seven companies sold 1.3 million heavy duty diesel engines containing illegal "defeat devices," which allow an engine to pass the EPA emissions test, but then turn off emission controls during highway driving. As a result, these engines emit up to three times the current level for NOx a harmful air pollutant."
http://www2.epa.gov/enforcement/detroit-diesel-corporation-diesel-engine-settlement
You can find many more examples of enforcement at:
http://www2.epa.gov/enforcement/clean-air-act-vehicle-and-engine-enforcement-case-resolutions
(AC because I work in the industry.)
The hard part here comes from "get it in writing".
When someone three layers of food-chain above you tells you "do this", you don't get to refuse until you have it in writing (unless you already have a new job lined up - and even then, don't expect that one to go any differently).
Now, you can certainly try to get them on record - You can ask them to write up a quick spec for what they want; you can ask them to submit the Change Management request because you don't have the authority to approve this one; you can send emails asking for clarification; and as a last resort, you can just document the change as "at the request of Boss X". In the real world, however, we've all dealt with people who refuse to do anything except by phone or in person.
And at that point, it becomes your word against theirs. Guess who can afford the better lawyer? And even that assumes it completely blows up - If it remains an internal matter, you won't even get the chance to present your side of the situation, just pack your belongings up and GTFO.