VW Exec Created A Power Point Presentation On How To Cheat Emissions Tests In 2006

Back in September, shortly after Volkswagen admitted it had equipped 11 million vehicles worldwide with “defeat devices” in order to evade emissions tests, an internal investigation found that some employees of the carmaker knew of the illegal software in 2011. But, according to a new report, at least one person with the company knew how to cheat emissions tests in 2006, and that person allegedly created a study guide of sorts to share his information. 

A top executive at VW allegedly created a PowerPoint presentation 10 years ago, highlighting how the carmaker could cheat emissions tests if it equipped vehicles with certain software, The New York Times reports.

The PowerPoint was supposedly created after the company realized emissions equipment in its latest diesel vehicles would wear out too quickly if calibrated to the more stringent American pollution standards.

The presentation offered a fairly simple solution: make the emissions tests work in VW’s favor.

Because the emissions tests conducted by U.S. regulators mimicked conditions on the open road, they were predictable, the Times reports.

And with a little added software, the company’s vehicles could recognize those test patterns and then activate equipment to reduce emissions.

Over time, the software was updated to better detect regulator tests, but continued to allow the vehicles to spew nitrogen oxide emissions that were up to 40 times the legal limit during regular use.

While it’s unclear how many people received the presentation, the existence of the detailed plan suggests that several people at the company knew VW vehicles did not properly contain pollutants.

In fact, two employees with the company tell the Times that executives repeatedly rejected proposals to improve emissions equipment, and instead continued to install the defeat devices.

This isn’t the first time investigations into VW’s use of defeat devices found the company knew it was breaking the law.

In February, it was reported that several VW managers, including now-former CEO Martin Winterkorn, were warned by employees that regulators would likely look into the company’s diesel engine software during an investigation into pollution levels in May 2014.

Before that, in September 2015, VW’s internal investigation found at least two incidents in which the carmaker was made aware that the use of defeat devices were against the law.

An engineer allegedly expressed concern in 2011 that using defeat devices was illegal. Separately, another source uncovered internal communications between parts supplier Bosch and VW, with the parts supplier insisting that the software was for test purposes and that using it in regular operation would be against the law.

VW Presentation in ’06 Showed How to Foil Emissions Tests [The New York Times]