Volkswagen is still reeling from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s revelation that the carmaker had altered diesel engines to beat emissions tests, which caused immediate consumer outrage. The agency reported that some diesel-powered vehicles made by Volkswagen and its subsidiaries Audi and Porsche contained software that lowered emissions during tests but not during normal driving. On the road, some vehicles emitted up to 40 times as much NOx—a combination of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide—as allowed. Short-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide is linked to airway inflammation and increased asthma symptoms. In the atmosphere, nitrogen dioxide contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone and particulate matter, which create further negative health effects. A recent study estimated that excess NOx released by the altered Volkswagen cars in the U.S. could cause 46 additional expected deaths and additional damages totaling $430 million, compared with if emissions regulations were followed ( 2015, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b05190).
As the Volkswagen scandal showed, building fuel-efficient, low-emitting vehicles is no easy task
10.1021/cen-09423-scitech1-VWdieselcxd-gr1
The Volkswagen scandal highlighted the difficulty of combining fuel economy and low emissions in diesel engines. (Credit: Darren Brode/Shutterstock.com)
Start your engines
Chemical & Engineering News ; 94 , 23 ; 18-20
2016-06-06
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
Unknown
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