You might call up a few old age ago when Volkswagen ( VW ) got busted for cheat on their diesel engine emissions tests . scientist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have now learn the result on public wellness have by the levels of extra air pollution from the cars sell in Germany .
The new study inEnvironmental Research Lettersestimates that 1,200 people in Europe will buy the farm up to a tenner ahead of time as a result of redundant emissions from the cars with “ licking devices ” sold in Germany . The same squad previously estimated that there would be 60 untimely deaths in the US due to excess emission from the 482,000 pretend vehicles sell in the US . Most of these will be due to o.k. particulates and nitric oxides ( NOx ) , which have been linked to cardiopulmonary and respiratory disease .
They alsoargue that if Volkswagen recalled all affected vehicles and met European standards by the ending of 2017 , this could stop the premature deaths of 2,600 people and save 4.1 billion Euros in healthcare costs .
Volkswagen Group is the biggest car maker in the world . Approximately 2.6 million affected cable car were sold in Germany , 482,000 affected vehicles were sell in the US , and around 11 million deal worldwide .
This whole saga extravasate in September 2015 when Volkswagen was try out to push their diesel cars as “ humiliated emanation ” . The Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) in the US found that many of their auto had “ vote down devices ” install in them . It was then break cars might be affected worldwide , include model such as the Jetta , Beetle , Golf , Passat , and the VW - manufacture Audi A3 .
Essentially , the engine were outfit with software that monitor their performance . When the cars were undergo an emissions test , a " frustration gadget " recoil in and put the vehicles into a different mode where the engine pumped out fewer emissions . Outside of this situation , the cars performed normally and let loose NOx pollutant at horizontal surface around four clock time the satisfactory European terminal point .
The company suffered numerous lawsuits , huge embarrassment , and massive recall . Unfortunately , it has now become apparent the job is not just their own .
" It seems unconvincing that Volkswagen is the only company with number with excess emanation , " co - writer Steven Barrett , associate professor of astronautics and astronautics at MIT , tell in astatement . “We do n’t know if other manufacturing business have these licking devices , but there is already evidence that many other vehicles in practice emit more than the applicable trial - stand terminal point value . So we ’re trying to do this for all diesel vehicles . "
