by 1300zuk » Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:10 pm
Please keep in mind that all these cars meet 2008 emissions regulations, it's not like they are raw diesel burners with no after treatment like the diesel freight ships that deliver the fuel across the sea. Also, the VW diesels meet emissions standards for almost the entire globe.
The VWs still use fuel efficiency, which in turn results in lower emissions because they don't consume as much energy to operate. And fewer off-road unregulated emission vehicle work is needed. I've heard a rumor that there are about 15 freight ships that account for half the NOx emitted into the atmosphere per year.
I haven't seen any data of how much the emissions are actually. The news says 10-40 times higher, but those were tested on the road, and on road fuel economy is always worse. The drive cycle is very specific, hence how you can find ways to defeat it.
Yes VW lied and is in trouble, but if anything comes out of this will be reasonable emission testing and hopefully close some loopholes. But vehicles are not the sole polluters they are just a common polluter. It's hard to place the blame entirely on VW when there are thousands of unregulated diesels being used off-road that likey emit more ozone pollutants in a day than a tiny VW will in its whole life.