Lowell commented on the Copper Toxicity post:
"Switching to another polymer would force EPA emissions recertification of every vehicle line."
So was the problem really a lack of a material, or a government regulation?
In the current environment, it is not enough to meet the written letter of the regulations.
In one instance, the test (which specifies that it is to be run on a dynamometer) passed with flying colors. The vehicle also proved to be suprisingly peppy and responsive on public roads in the hands of the consumers.
The customers LOVED it.
One of the calibration "coders" noticed that the powertrain control module knew if the hood was up or if it was closed and the primary latch was engaged. The calibration may have accidentally installed two sets of software, one to run when the hood is up...like when it is on a dynamometer, and another set of software to run when the hood was closed.
Some busybody within the organization ratted out the quirk to the EPA and the SHTF.
In another case, VW calibration engineers noted that the European emissions test had a rigorously defined "path" and that there were no wide-open accelerations anywhere in it. From there, it was observed that if the customer had a sudden need for speed...say while passing somebody on a twisting, two-lane road, it would be really spiffy if the exhaust-gas recirculation was shut-off and the injection volume deviated from the Euro-emissions map.
From there, it was a few short steps to the realization that there are very few labs that are certified to perform EU emissions testing and the vehicles, by that point, all had GPS. And by the letter of the law, the data validating compliance to EU emissions regulations had to be collected at the certified labs.
That clever bit of engineering and careful reading of the regulations ended up in a massive recall...even though the vehicles met the law as-written.
Clearly, my sympathies are with the manufacturers. Regulators have to actually request what they want otherwise it becomes an endless guessing game and countless Mother-May-I requests.
Secondary containers
Mrs ERJ was taken aback by my choice of water bottles.
She suggested that I label them in case I get stopped by the local police while traveling to one of my off-site workplaces.
That seemed like a good idea.
I find that people are very interested when I drink Iced tea out of large (recycled) plastic Jim Beam bottle at the neighborhood events.
ReplyDeleteScrew shooting the engineers! Tar and feather the bueracrats. That'll accomplish more in the long run.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of Enron. California set up a retarded set of rules regarding pricing of electricity. Someone smart at Enron noticed that they could game the system. I thought what they did was actually brilliant.
ReplyDeleteRegulators exist to regulate. NOT to solve problems. And since they invariably know almost NOTHING about what they are regulating they will without fail make things worse.
ReplyDeleteI very much admired Volkswagen after the regulators figured out that their test equipment hook-up caused the engine to meet standards, they simply shrugged and said: "You finally figured it out!"
ReplyDeleteJust like Wall Street traders know, the Regulators are DEI hires that are always a step behind. That's why nobody else hires them.
I refilled an empty liquor mini bottle with a vodka-like substance that I had on hand, of uncertain proof. I sent it with person 1, in a flight carryon, to take to person 2, for their evaluation. I put the bottle in secondary containment, according to rule for shipping liquids of potential hazard, and labeled the bag with my name and phone number, and a tag that said, "I promise you, this is just vodka". There were no issues.
ReplyDeleteFor completely coincidental reasons today, I was reading about the Raines Law, that restricted Sunday liquor sales in New York City to places that served food, in order to keep the cheap taverns from serving, but not restricting the classy places serving people with money.
ReplyDeleteThis led to the invention of the "brick sandwich", which withstood legal challenges, with a jury ruling that the food merely needed to be served, not eaten, and thus did not need to be edible, as long as the customer accepted it. This also led to the creation of "rooms" with "beds", to qualify as a hotel, and once you've got those, it's a short step to figuring out a way to make money off of them.
When the standards to pass a test or get a license are all that matters, people will do exactly what it takes to meet them, in ways that could have been anticipated, but weren't.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raines_law
Is vehicle, of course somebody is 'playing' with the ECU! LOL
ReplyDelete