“Dieselgate”: Scandal at Volkswagen
In 2013, engineering student researchers at WVU were performing on the road emission tests with new miniaturized instrumentation on a variety of vehicles when they discovered that the Volkswagen diesels they tested were not meeting EPA standards. Further investigation showed that the control systems designed by Bosch and VW were deliberately designed to fool the standard stationary tests of that time, and the ensuing scandal cost VW tens of billions of dollars in fines, and some of their leadership their personal freedom. Robert Aftel will review the history of this scandal, and how engineers used technology and knowledge of regulations to mislead governments and their customers. Most engineering disasters are errors of omission or simple negligence; in Dieselgate we have a rare example of engineers acting with malfeasance.
Speaker:
Robert Aftel is a Navy civilian with a background in engineering and IT. His background on Dieselgate comes from his side passion for automobiles and internal combustion engines, where his knowledge and experience is applied as an expert witness for clients in litigation.
When:
- 6:00 PM - Networking
- 6:30 PM - Dinner
- 7:30 PM - Speaker Presentation
Join us for an engaging evening as Robert Aftel reviews the history of the Dieselgate scandal, exploring how engineering practices, technology, and regulatory knowledge were misused to mislead governments and customers. Don’t miss this insightful discussion on ethics, innovation, and lessons for the engineering community.
We look forward to seeing you there!
