Fahrer

Electric cars are not necessarily zero emissions vehicles. Particularly in the US where we burn coal in old low-tech dirty plants.

2014a6tdi

I'm not talking about the demise of any technology. PM, NOx and Carbon Dioxide are the issues (CO is under control with catalytic converters)

I'd say PM and NOx are getting under control. So carbon dioxide is the focus.

If carbon dioxide is bad then zero emissions (at least for now) is achievable via battery or fuel cell. You can argue "power plant" environmental impact, however, there is huge value in new generation technologies pushing environmental improvements rather than that responsibility pushed onto consumers (smog test, etc). If the cars are zero emissions (battery) then new generations of power plants automatically cleanup the environment versus waiting for polluting cars to age off the road.

I personally am waiting for my Back to the Future "Mr. Fusion" powering my flux capacitor.

irenesbob

Looks like an official EPA charge that VW/Audi has been playing around with pollution measurements:

EPA says VW intentionally violates clean air standards

I guess that's one interpretation of "Truth in Engineering"

Inyoury

Let's not forget about the rest of the world where the car sales for Diesel engines below 2.0 liters is much higher. The tough regulations on annual taxes for any engine larger than 1.999 liters wants to make you puke. The clean diesel and none clean diesel regulations for sub 2.0 liter engines are lacking.

I remember here was a publishing several years ago from the WHO's study conducted about how the smaller Diesel engines being worse than second hand smoking...

2014a6tdi

The implication of your argument is that you are simply moving pollution around. I don't buy it.

With one stroke of the EPA's pen those coal power plants could be phased out in favor of something less polluting. Here in California during the Enron created energy crisis nat gas peaker plants popped up everywhere seemingly overnight. However the transition away from coal power needs to be done in a way so the working poor and folks under the poverty line don't have to bear significant cost for that transition. Smog fees transition to power plant upgrade fees maybe? Dunno.

This is about enabling technology that allows pollution to be more easily managed that is good for the citizens of 'murica.

Fahrer

It's worse than that. It is moving the energy generation from a relatively clean technology ( modern gasoline engines) to an extremely dirty one (coal combustion particulates, mercury,etc). It would would be much easier and more effective to clean up power plants than millions of cars but it is not done due to the energy lobbies.

DennisMitchell

Well, this is not good news for Audi.

09/18/2015: EPA, California Notify Volkswagen of Clean Air Act Violations

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/19/bu...ware.html?_r=0

AMDG75

tsk, tsk....if true, VW will join the ranks of Ford and Honda both of which have been caught doing the alleged trickery....Honda involved 1.6 million vehicles.

see: http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production...nts/defeat.pdf

Unfortunately, if true VW/diesel may get blasted as this administration really pushes the gospel of electric vehicles, which one day may be realistic, affordable and practical (think long family trips: soccer/hockey tournaments). Trust that they realize that an increase in electric vehicles may require a concomitant increase in power plants to satisfy the increased demand for electricity..........power plants will have to burn something as wind/solar not quite ready to replace coal.........sorry for digression

qqq1970

A6 TDI is not one of the named models with defeat device.

John Simcox

During the 70s and 80s things were so bad in Italy that Ferrari made 2.0 V8 for the domestic market https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_Dino_engine