The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told all major auto companies on Friday that it would now audit cars for emissions test "defeat devices," following revelations that Volkswagen diesel cars cheated on pollution standards.
The environmental agency announced last week that software in Volkswagen diesel cars – perhaps 11 million vehicles worldwide – was designed to turn off exhaust cleaning controls in engines except when the vehicle underwent emissions tests. With the controls off, the vehicle's exhaust contained up to 40 times more pollutants than allowed by law.
"Today we are putting vehicle makers on notice," EPA's Christopher Grundler said during a news conference. Unlike past emissions test, the details of how the agency, along with Canada's environmental agency, will test vehicles for emissions cheating would not be provided to car makers, he said. That will prevent them from writing software allowing cars to recognize when they are being tested and turn on emissions controls.
In the past, the agency had focused on heavy diesel trucks for such tests because of their significant emissions and history of defeat devices, Grundler said. But now all cars will face added inspection for emissions cheating.
Volkswagen's chief, Martin Winterkorn, resigned in light of the revelations on Wednesday. And claims that BMW cars might have similar emissions questions affected the company's stock on Thursday, leading to a 9.7% drop.
The nonprofit International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), which had helped alert EPA to the Volkswagen emissions cheating, said in a statement last week that "defeat devices" are a worldwide problem in cars. European studies, "repeatedly found large and growing gaps between real world emissions and the regulatory certification levels."
"This is a global problem that will require a coordinated global solution," said ICCT's Drew Kodjak.