Relativisation of the diesel scandal – Part 2

I haven’t really dealt with the technical side of the scandal before, even though that my thesis at Bosch Engineering GmbH in Abstatt had indirectly to do with it. Part of my thesis was to further develop a software that partly creates automatically the certification documents for the CARB (California Air Resources Board). The Certification is about the exhaust gases of the upcoming car models.

The reason why I didn’t deal with the diesel scandal was, that I already saw devilish actions in that.

I can still remember the conversation someone before the year 2009 with one of my best friend’s – actually, I grew up with my friends, like brothers – father (he was for me as a father as mine), a very educated man, who asked me what I thought of the political thematization with CO2 emissions etc. At that time, I already read some articles, also in renowned magazines such as the Science magazine etc., and have found out that the science is actually raped. I also knew that the policy approach was an educational one, and the raped science was only a tool for education. The whole interpretation in the magazines and newspapers was not necessarily wrong, but the focus was set so that it distorted the truth.

This is comparable, when the question is asked: Describe or define the automobile and the answer is only: The car has four wheels. Would you consider this answer sufficient? No, why not?

Now back to the core topic of this article: It is time to take a close look at the matter with the diesel scandal.

Before I start directly with this topic, one needs knowledge from other fields as well as from other branches of industry.

Fuel consumption

As the most know, according to the manufacturer, the consumption is divided into three groups. Urban, extra-urban and the combined variant. Why is such a division necessary? Since, of course, the consumption depends on many different factors like total vehicle weight incl. driver and load etc., driver’s driving style, landscapes¹ weather conditions, used tires, how often one gears, tire pressure, roof carriers or spoilers etc. that change the flow conditions of a car and thus of the consumption. For this reason, there are standardizations from the European Parliament, which specifies exactly how the tests for the consumption should look in detail, so that later a comparison between different models and of course the comparison between different manufacturers is also possible. Only the standardization of the tests makes it possible to compare the consumption between different models and manufacturers.

Cylinder cut-off

Many modern cars have the possibility that individual cylinders can be automatically switched off and if necessary they’ll reactivate automatically. These of course has a positive effect on fuel consumption and, in turn, on exhaust gas values. One do not drive the car constantly in the full throttle – also the high-HP bolides do not always have to show their claws 😉, only if the driver needed this, e. g. during overtaking, etc.

Energy consumption² of household appliances, TV etc.

Most of them, at least in Europe, knows the energy label on electrical devices, which indicates the energy consumption of a device. Here the procedure of the test is similar, as in the fuel consumption of an automobile. Let’s take a clear look of a modern television (flat screen). For judging and comparing, it is of course important to determine the size of the screen (40 inches, 55 inches, etc.), ambient temperature³, ambient brightness (with adaptive brightness control), which film is played up and the set volume which comes through the loudspeakers.

Perhaps for one or the other it will not be clear why a film can change the energy consumption of a TV set. Let’s make this clear with examples of two pictures. The one picture has a lot of black tones and the other picture has a lot of lighter tones (white). Since most flat screens show the black, in which the areas of the pixels are deactivated or the brightness is throttled. Since each film is logically composed of different images and therefore the film also contains different number of black tones. Of course, the whole thing is much more complex and which technique is used. Is it a plasma TV, LCD, OLED etc., but this explanation is sufficient to understand the matter as a whole. Just imagine that a full-HD TV has 1920×1080 (= 2.073.600) pixels. Each single pixel is a single RGB diode (LED) with full HD this would be about two million diodes regardless of whether it is a 40-inch or 55-inch model. Of course, the consumption of the 55-inch is higher, since the pixels are correspondingly larger.

It is well-known by TVs, as soon as they get a test picture, they automatically go into a test mode, where all settings of the device are optimized so that they can achieve a low energy consumption. Please note that if a TV is installed in the bright room with lot of sunlight, the brightness must be turned up as if it were installed in a properly lit area – so one can also imagine the optimization.

The most is standardized by committees. How the test procedures have to look and of course the procedure as is, is a tightrope walk between deceptions and standardization. This tightrope walk also takes place in the legal sense, if certain practices are not explicitly forbidden by the legislature, then this is mostly used up or the laws are so interpreted.

Psychology

Is it possible to torture or terrorize an (innocent) human being or a group, that they accept a [criminal] offense? This knowledge is very important, not only to understand this topic, also to understand the most things happening currently in the world!

Back to the core issue

That there will be deviations between the real and test stand emissions should be clear to everyone. One cannot take the real tests for production. As I have already written partly in fuel consumption, there are so many factors that are constantly changing. For example, a car is driving in the wind shadow of another vehicle or the preceding vehicles whirl the wind so badly that this has a negative effect on the aerodynamics of the vehicle to be tested, etc. The here listed ones cause only a minimum, but the sum of all the factors, which have not been mentioned here, have an influence on the tests. And test must be reproducible so that they are meaningful.

What is relativisation?

It is important to judge the matter objectively. Are the facts submitted meaningful? Is it a fact or just blackmailed? Are they trying to argue round and round? Is it only partial extracts from a whole? See my above description with the definition of the automobile.

Some extracts from the Volkswagen investigative commission

The link to this file can be found further down in the section “Additional articles“.

Conclusion

Please do not just read the text excerpts, read also the rest of the report. One does not necessarily have to go through all the car models from the report of the investigation commission. Search for more reputable sources, not just the sources I have given here.

Footnote

¹ Whether a car is moved in flatland or on mountainous country roads, highways, country ways (which are not tarred) does surely affect the fuel consumption of a vehicle. This is simple physics. One do not even need to understand the physics. Try to climb up a steep staircase and compare it with the same flat route. Where do you get out of breath faster? Of course, at the steep stairs.

² Using of the term consumption, related to energy, is not physically correct. Because one cannot destroy or create energy. Energy can only be transformed. Why get electrical appliances warm by using? Because the electrical energy is mostly transformed as a result of lost, into thermal energy. By a heater it is so intended, but not with a refrigerator, TV, computer and other electrical devices.

³ The ambient temperature, of course, affects the physical characteristics of the components in a such device, which in turn also changes the energy consumption. Since the household appliances are used in rooms where there are actually no major temperature fluctuations, this will only play a minor role in the reality.

Additional articles

• Volkswagen emissions scandal
• Diesel particle filter (DPF), self-cleaning → search on your own for the sources
• Diesel exhaust fluid
• Report of the Volkswagen investigative Commission – BMVI [available only in German language]
  • Dobrindt presents “Volkswagen investigation commission” report
• ICCT study