ICCT paper illuminates defeat device ‘paradox’

There has been a considerable amount of discussion between industry experts on how to prevent the future use of defeat devices since the Volkswagen emissions scandal broke in September 2015. Some have pointed to the introduction of new testing procedures, like the worldwide harmonised light vehicle test procedure (WLTP).

The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has released a paper that highlights US and EU regulations regarding defeat devices in order to “illuminate this paradox: VW and other automakers assert that software on some of their vehicles that would be considered an illegal defeat device in the US is either not a defeat device or not prohibited as such in the European Union, even though the language defining and prohibiting defeat devices in the US and EU regulations is nearly identical.”