The news that VW now admit that their European cars carry the cheating software and that the UK and other countries are going to carry out tests on ALL makes of cars raises key questions.
Clearly the initial supposition that the device had just been fitted in a mere half million cars to circumvent the testing regime in American states with mega tough emissions laws, especially California, turns out to be wishful thinking. Eleven million cars are apparently involved and it beggars belief that a project on that scale was known only to a handful. Indeed who produced the software? Is it VW’s own, or bought in from a specialist? Then comes the obvious. Is VW the only manufacturer doing this, or just the one that got caught? And if more were at it, we are looking at something so big loads of people must have known. Perhaps even the authorities. This then poses the big question.
Are these emission laws everywhere realistic? Or are they based on laboratory analysis which cannot be replicated in real on the road driving conditions, no matter what? If that is the case we should be told and further development of petrol and diesel cars should give way to organising an electrical motive power train which not only delivers good performance after initial charging, but can keep itself charged by its own motion.
That would deal with the pollution problem. It would be bad news for the oil industry. Maybe that is why it has not happened already.