The whole Dieselgate turkey is still in the oven, and Volkswagen is already busy doing everything it can to make us forget that it blatantly cheated to hide the level of emissions that its diesel vehicles were creating. It’s most recent effort comes in the form of a particulate filter that will be installed on its direct-injection gasoline-powered engines. According to Volkswagen, the filters can drop the emissions of soot particles by up to 90 percent. If this all sounds familiar, it’s because diesel engines have been using particulate filters for years, and they have been proven effective for some time now.
Dr. Ulrich Eichhon, the Head of Group Research and Development, said, “Following increases in efficiency and lower CO₂ output, we are now bringing about a sustained reduction in the emission levels of our modern petrol engines by fitting particulate filters as standard.”
The first engines to receive this new particulate filter will be the 1.4-liter TSI gasoline engine in the new Volkswagen Tiguan and the 2.0-liter TFSI gasoline engine that comes in the Audi A5. Volkswagen plans to implement these filters starting in June of 2017 and says that the number of vehicles equipped with the new technology could reach seven million by 2022. Furthermore, VW is boasting comparative measurements from “independent testing bodies” that claim modern EU 6 rated diesel and gasoline engines from the Volkswagen Group are “already the cleanest on the market.” According to the EQUA Air Quality Index, out of 440 of the most popular models, the VW Group is labeled as a top performer.
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Why it Matters
I know I’ve been pretty rough on VW since it got caught red-handed pulling one over on emissions testing, but the brand was caught cheating. I took a quick glance at the EQUA web page, and the leading quote on the website is from an unnamed Volkswagen Spokesperson: “Achieving such strong ratings for our diesel vehicles during a standardized real-world test serves to reassure customers that they can buy our products with confidence. Also reassuring to customers is the evidence provided by the EQUA Index that the regulated Euro 6 limits were achieved by our cars in real-world driving conditions.”
So, the implementation of a new particulate filter to gasoline-powered engines, followed by these amazing test results by the EQUA just happened to come as VW picks itself up from the scandal that nearly ruined it. I personally find it a little convenient, but I am, admittedly, being very skeptical of VW as a whole. Will I be able to forgive them? Sure; but it won’t be right away, and it won’t be from these sudden test results or the implementation of a new filter on gasoline engines. With that said, I do want to point out that I’m glad to see that VW is trying to make things right. The new particulate filter should prove worthy of praise, and the brand is working hard to earn back its trust. Boasting itself continually this soon, however, just makes me more skeptical.
Keep improving emissions, VW. The world needs that in a major way, but don’t expect to just brush your errors from the past under the rug to be quickly forgotten about. Trust comes in due time, and neither I or the general public is ready to give you that full trust yet. In time, the overall view of the VW will improve, but not overnight.