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Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771

ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM

Monday, March 20, 2017 / 3:30 PM, Building 8 Auditorium

Arvind Thiruvengadam

"The Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Test Deception"

ABSTRACT -- This talk will discuss the testing that led to the conclusion that VW Diesel cars were designed to give inaccurate data in their emissions tests. The evidence included measurements of emissions from VW cars as they were being driven on and interstate. The emissions measured under those conditions were not as good as the emissions measured under conditions of a standard official emissions test.

The team did multiple tests to make sure that the methods were correct. One line of evidence supporting the accuracy of their tests came from a BMW that they were also testing. The BMW tests were consistent between highway conditions and official test conditions.

The team finally reached the conclusion that the VW Diesels were designed to defeat the standard official emissions test. This talk will describe the methods used to reach that conclusion.

SPEAKER -- Arvind Thiruvengadam is an assistant professor at West Virginia University (WVU) in the university's Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions (CAFEE). He has a Master's and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from WVU, specializing in the study of internal combustion engines and their exhaust emissions. His recent work has included both diesel engines and natural gas engines.

His work became well known when he detected problems with the emissions controls of Diesel cars made by Volkswagen (VW). His studies led to the "Dieselgate" scandal, in which VW was found to be falsifying emissions tests results for its Diesel cars.

Engineering Colloquium home page: https://ecolloq.gsfc.nasa.gov