What a load of Arthur Daley spivs! Volkswagen are no better than a garage guv'nor, writes GUY WALTERS

By Guy Walters for the Daily Mail

Published: 19:19 EST, 22 September 2015 | Updated: 13:48 EST, 23 September 2015

The revelation that Volkswagen has behaved no better than the worst kind of Arthur Daley-style garage guv’nor has rocked both the motoring industry and the markets – as well as consumer confidence.

Make no mistake, fudging tests of its diesel vehicles’ emissions with a devious piece of software known as a ‘defeat device’ makes VW no better than a spiv who ‘clocks’ the mileage of second-hand motors on a shabby forecourt.

But the stakes are far higher than purely financial – the issue of vehicle emissions can be literally one of life and death. In fact, it is so serious, that it would not be surprising if Volkswagen were to face hugely damaging class-action lawsuits brought by the families of people who’ve died from pollution-related illnesses.

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Volkswagen share prices have plummeted by approximately 32 per cent on the Frankfurt stock exchange since yesterday and the company faces a recall of at least 470,000 cars and up to USD 18 billion in fines

In order to understand why, we need to appreciate quite how toxic the fumes are from diesel vehicles. For a long time, they have been sold to consumers as being greener and cleaner because their emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrocarbons (HC) are lower than those of petrol engines – worth paying a premium for, in many cases.

Yet where diesel engines actually fall down is on their emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx), a mixture of mainly nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – which exposed VW’s chicanery – nitrogen oxides are particularly hazardous pollutants.

‘They react with ammonia, moisture, and other compounds to form small particles,’ the EPA states. ‘These small particles penetrate deeply into sensitive parts of the lungs, and can cause or worsen respiratory disease, such as emphysema and bronchitis, and can aggravate existing heart disease, leading to increased hospital admissions and premature death.’

Particularly at risk are asthmatics, the young and the elderly, and of course those who live or work near busy roads for whom the risks of premature death are a reality. While the EPA testing regime only covers emissions in America, over here the problem of air pollution is just as frightening.

According to official Government figures, poor air quality is responsible for 29,000 premature deaths in the UK every year, representing nearly 5 per cent of annual deaths overall. Of these, it is thought that 70 per cent – just over 20,000 deaths – are caused by pollution from vehicles, with the greatest killers being nitrogen oxides.

Apology: Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn said that the devices fitted to the motors of the company's cars 'go against everything Volkswagen stands for'

Hence the pressure to reduce their levels in vehicle exhausts – and particularly in those of diesels, which are the greatest producers of nitrogen oxides.

Under the latest EU requirements, known as Euro 6, since September last year all new diesel cars have been forbidden to emit more than 80 mg of NOx for every kilometre they drive.

On paper, this might seem an acceptable level, far lower than the staggering 1,600 mg per kilometre that were permitted in 1993. But the truth is there are vast differences between the results produced by a vehicle in a laboratory test, and the same car being driven on roads in the outside world.

In October last year, for example, I wrote about how manufacturers fudged mileage tests to such a shocking extent that the average vehicle on the road achieves 18 per cent fewer miles per gallon than the advertised test results.

The companies use all sorts of underhand tricks, including taping up gaps in doors, disconnecting alternators, and even driving downhill, to produce the best-possible results.

In short – they cheat. And as the VW scandal has revealed, at least one global car giant also cheats the system that was specifically set up to protect us all from pollutants that billow from their vehicles’ exhaust pipes.

So what did VW do?

It installed a piece of software in the engine’s management system that was able to detect when the car was being tested. But while VW has been caught blatantly cheating, its cars are by no means alone in pumping out far too many pollutants.

Tests conducted by the independent International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found that a typical modern diesel emits between seven and ten times more nitrogen oxides on the road than the Euro 6 limit of 80mg/km that must be achieved in tests.

As a result, the pollution on our city streets often exceeds EU safety limits.

In July 2014, it was reported that scientists from King’s College London measured in Oxford Street an average of 135 milligrams of NO2 per cubic metre – which is three times higher than the EU limit. The traffic-choked artery broke hourly limits of 200 mg per cubic metre more than 1,500 times over one year.

The evidence shows up such a marked gulf between test results and real-world performance, it seems likely other companies are also cheating.

Greg Archer is the Clean Vehicles Manager at the Brussels-based pressure group, Transport & Environment. ‘I think it is very likely that other companies are using devices similar to the one used by Volkswagen,’ he says. ‘Because the real world results and the test results are just so different for so many models. Volkswagen is undoubtedly the tip of the iceberg.

‘People should be aware that this is not a victimless crime,’ Mr Archer said. ‘These cars are producing pollution that kills people.’

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