What is the likely effect of the emissions testing scandal on car designers?
Peter Stevens covers everything a car designer needs to know about defeat devices, testing regulations and more
There cannot be many people in the world who by now have not heard the ‘VW cheating emission controls’ story. Screaming newspaper and internet headlines and a never-ending stream of seldom well-informed commentators, having their 15 minutes of fame on radio and TV, have all grabbed our attention. VW’s embarrassment and admissions of guilt are for real and I certainly don’t write as an apologist for either the auto industry or the Volkswagen Group, but it is important that designers understand what is going on here.
The measurement of a variety of required safety, noise and gaseous emissions from motor vehicles is not a new thing. Crash testing is a very tough but comparatively easy way of measuring how a vehicle protects its occupants in the event of an accident. Recently the effects of the injuries sustained by pedestrians when hit by cars has resulted in changes to the front form and structure of most vehicles; on the whole designers have coped well with these rules that have been introduced in the last five years.
‘Drive by noise’ is a regulation that measures the total noise created by a car when passing a calibrated sound-analysing device, and has been with us for years. Ever-more stringent regulations surrounding the emission of a variety of pollutants from the burning of fuels used by internal combustion engines have kept engine designers occupied for almost 50 years.
The methods for testing emissions have varied from country to country, many of the tests of compliance to the US’s regulations are carried out by what is called ‘self certification’ where the manufacturer carries out the test and declares that its cars comply with the regulations; this even applies to crash testing in the US. But the penalties for misrepresenting results are extremely harsh. For example, the US Clean Air Act allows for a fine of up to $37,500 for each non-compliant vehicle!
Next page: Europe versus the US>
Peter Stevens
Peter Stevens is one of Britain’s most well-known and sought-after automotive and industrial designers. For more of his insights head over to his Facebook page