New Australian research shows a Volkswagen diesel car is using 14% more fuel after a recall fix and still emits noxious emissions more than four times higher than levels observed in laboratory testing.
The Australian Automobile Assn., working with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, says the real-world testing was commissioned to quantify performance changes associated with the software upgrades to affected vehicles.
VW undertook the recall fixes after it was revealed more than 11 million VW diesel vehicles had been sold worldwide with a so-called defeat device, which detected when a vehicle’s engine was being tested and subsequently changed performance to improve emission results.
The new findings come as VW is knee-deep in lawsuits from former VW vehicle owners in Australia and globally.
The AAA in late 2016 commissioned research firm ABMARC to run two tests on an affected VW vehicle, one before recall and one immediately after.
It says the test result indicates a ʼ10-model VW Golf built to Euro 5 emissions standards used an average 7% more fuel after it had the recall completed. This ranged from using 2% more fuel while driving in urban areas, 7% more fuel on rural roads and 14% while driving on highways.
The AAA says in a statement that while the tests showed emissions of oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and particulate matter declined after the recall fix, the NOx emissions still were 4.11 times the laboratory limit after the recall when tested under real driving conditions.
The results show VW may have found a way to reduce levels of noxious emissions but as a result, fuel consumption increased. The testing also indicated both power and torque rose slightly after the recall fix.
The AAA says the testing further supports its call for a real-world emissions-testing program following its own research program, which tested 30 Australian cars on Australian roads using Australian fuels.
The auto group argues there is no point in introducing tougher emissions standards in a laboratory setting unless consumers receive information on real-world performance.
Volkswagen rejects the AAA’s findings on the fuel efficiency of its recalled cars in a statement published in The Guardian newspaper.
“The German government approved Volkswagen’s software update on the basis that it did not adversely affect the emissions or fuel economy of vehicles in test conditions,” the statement says. “The leading motorists’ organizations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland have tested vehicles and concluded that vehicles continue to perform as expected after the software update.”
