PIT Group researchers were called upon as specialists in the case of the false results of pollutant emissions tests.
In September 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) levelled accusations against German car manufacturer Volkswagen. Based on independent tests that were carried out, the results announced by Volkswagen with regard to the pollutant emissions tests of their diesel vehicles had been falsified: the nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions of the Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) diesel engines were allegedly 35-40 times greater than the tests made it possible to detect. But how can such trickery slip past testing authorities? The Découverte program looked into the question.
To increase its market share, the German car manufacturer had apparently equipped a number of its diesel vehicles with sophisticated software capable of detecting the moment when anti-pollution tests were being carried out and therefore falsifying the results. To clearly understand how such fraud could have been committed, Radio-Canada’s TV program called upon the expertise of researchers of the PIT Group—an organization well recognized for providing an impartial, neutral opinion on various technologies, based on tests conducted in accordance with accepted North American standards.
The PIT Group team, which included Marius Surcel, Technical Leader; Steve Mercier, Researcher, Testing and Alternative Fuels; and Falama Souley, Researcher, Telematics, built and installed a PEMS, or portable emissions measuring system, in a Volkswagen 2011 Golf vehicle equipped with a diesel engine. The PEMS device, composed of sensors and an analyzer, allows pollutant emissions data to be gathered during road tests using a computer program. Results obtained by the PIT Group confirmed the much higher rates of NOx emitted compared to those from standard testing conditions.
Volkswagen would have installed this software, designed to stop the anti-pollution system as soon as it detects the end of standard tests, in order to display attractive performance results. Diesel engines are known to generate a large amount of NOx; technologies used to reduce these emissions would result in higher fuel consumption or a decrease in engine performance.
According to PIT Group Director Yves 
Provencher, it is imperative that improvements be made to the testing procedures to which the various vehicle models and pieces of equipment are subjected. In fact, it isn’t the first time that false allegations on the part of car manufacturers are brought to light. “It is relatively easy to falsify lab tests, as proven by Volkswagen. Malicious software can detect that the front wheels are turning at a speed of 100 km/h and the rear wheels stopped—in which case, it is highly probable that the vehicle is undergoing tests. Ideally, road tests should be carried out, because it is practically impossible to falsify road tests, given the fact that such tests are conducted under normal driving conditions. How could software detect such a test? Of course, it costs more. A good compromise is to subject a certain number of vehicles to road tests, at random. It took only one road test to detect the trickery on 11 million vehicles built by Volkswagen and its subsidiaries! Ultimately, consumers must be able to make well-informed choices.”
Hopefully, the vast impact of this case and the negative consequences that it had on the German company will serve as an example to the various companies in which consumers place their trust when it comes time to choose products that are environmentally friendly. For Volkswagen, it is a very costly lesson.
You can watch the complete Découverte program (in French) by clicking here. More information can also be obtained by contacting Yves Provencher, director of PIT Group.