As Volkswagen prepares to settle consumer claims resulting from the company’s admission that it cheated on diesel emissions tests, West Virginia University researchers who helped uncover the elevated emissions as well as University economists are available to discuss issues related to the settlement and its impact.

Dan Carder director of the WVU Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines and Emissions, led the research team that discovered elevated emissions from Volkswagen diesel vehicles and sparked further investigations by regulators. He predicts that the impact of the settlement will be far reaching.

“This is a significant result for consumer advocacy,” Carder says. “But it will also rapidly accelerate automotive technology in terms of improving existing combustion technologies and promoting zero-emissions vehicles.”

Carder was also a part of the WVU team that worked with heavy-duty engine manufacturers on a historic settlement related to emissions testing and technology. He can be reached at 304.293.0650 or by email at Daniel.Carder@mail.wvu.edu.

In 2014, the International Council on Clean Transportation contracted�West Virginia University�to perform on-road emissions testing in order to study emissions performance from diesel light-duty vehicles under typical driving conditions in the United States. Results showed that�two Volkswagen diesel passenger vehicles in the study�emitted�oxides of nitrogen levels that were�5 to 35 times higher than emissions standards in the U.S.�

WVU’s findings were reported to the International Council on Clean Transportation, which shared the information with regulators. Both the California Air Resources Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted additional investigations. In September 2015, both agencies notified Volkswagen that the company had violated state and federal emissions standards, including the use of a defeat device — illegal software in the vehicles’ on-board computers – used to turn off emissions control systems while the vehicle is on the road.

Emissions Testing and Technology
Greg Thompson, associate professor of mechanical engineering in the Statler College of Engineering, is an expert in engine design, control and emissions measurements. He was a member of the research team that discovered elevated emissions from Volkswagen diesel vehicles and sparked further investigations by regulators. He was also part of the WVU team that worked with heavy-duty engine manufacturers on a historic settlement related to emissions testing and technology. He can be reached at 304.293.3254 or by email at Gregory.Thompson@mail.wvu.edu.

International Business, Economic and Trade Impact
David Dawley the director of the Robbins Center for Global Business and Strategy at the WVU College of Business and Economics. Dawley can be reached at 304.293.7923 or David.Dawley@mail.wvu.edu.

Usha Haley, professor of management in the College of Business and Economics, is a renowned media source and expert on multinational companies, international business and international trade. She has published on and consulted for the automotive industry. Haley can be reached at 304. 293.7948 or Usha.Haley@mail.wvu.edu.

West Virginia University experts can provide commentary, insights and opinions on various news topics. Search for an expert by name, title, area of expertise or college/school/department in the Experts Database at WVU Today.

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ms/06/28/16

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