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Rabat- Vehicles of the world’s biggest carmaker, Volkswagen, are reportedly using more fuel and still emit four times the allowable level of noxious gases, despite pollution enforcement measures implemented after the worldwide “dieselgate” emissions cheating scandal, revealed a study conducted by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) on Monday.
The German car manufacturer Volkswagen has come under fire after a group of West Virginia University (WVU) scientists discovered in 2015, that the car manufacturer had installed a “defeat device” into its diesel-engine vehicles to cheat fuel emission tests, angering environmental authorities and car owners alike.
Although the affected cars were recalled by VW, the Australian Automobile Association said tests it commissioned on local vehicles before and after being updated showed they were still exceeding regulations in real-world settings, guzzling up to 14 percent more diesel fuel than the standard.
“Emissions analysis… found an affected VW diesel vehicle to be using up to 14 percent more diesel after recall, and still emitting noxious emissions more than 400 per cent higher than levels observed in laboratory testing,” the AAA said in a statement.
Following the revelations, Volkswagen rejected AAA’s findings on the fuel efficiency of its recalled cars, saying that Germany’s KBA motor vehicle authority had approved its software update, and the fixed vehicles “continue to satisfy European and Australian emissions standards”.
The sale of diesel cars in Europe and United States has been in steady decline, as several studies showed that even the newest diesel-engine cars produce pollution far above what is legally permitted.
One study carried out by Transport & Environment, a Brussels-based lobby for sustainable transport, has found that “a typical diesel car emits 42.65 tonnes of carbon dioxide over its lifecycle, or 3.65 tonnes more than a petrol car.”
Volkswagen has been under pressure internationally, not only after the company installed misleading gauges to make car engines appear less polluting than they actually were, but also after the New York Times reported on January 25, 2018 that a US institut commissioned by the German auto firm carried out diesel fume inhalation tests on humans and monkeys in 2014.
