German investigators said Sunday that some Fiat vehicle fuel emission systems appeared to show unusual levels of diesel exhaust pollution during testing, indicating a cheat device may have been used to tamper with the system, reports German media.
The irregular levels may have been due to someone tampering with Fiat’s fuel emission systems; though it is just as likely the varying levels were caused by a perfectly legal technology meant to protect the fuel emission system from rust buildup.
According to German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, an examination by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) on an unnamed Fiat model appeared to show its emission system was dialed back considerably after 22 minutes. This indicates that the company may have been using technology to obscure fuel emission levels, Bild am Sonntag reported.
The KBA investigation was done on 53 different vehicles in part to crackdown on nitrogen oxide pollution levels following Volkswagen’s September fuel emission testing scandal. The newspaper went on to note that the regular length of testing time for the vehicle is 20 minutes. The level changes may be attributed to something far less sinister, however.
While Volkswagen was found in September to have used so-called defeat devices on their fuel emission systems, other car makers have been using something called a “thermal window,” which is used to refer to the interval in a test when automakers are allowed to dial back the emission system to protect the vehicles motor, among other parts of its drive train.
The device is meant to prevent rust from building up in the vehicle’s catalytic converter. Vehicles that start up in cold weather tend to accumulate more condensation, which then create more rust in the fuel emission system.
Bild am Sonntag did not note whether the device used was a “thermal window.”
KBA investigators did note that the automakers used the “thermal window” definition liberally, for example using it during temperature levels as low as 64 degrees Fahrenheit.
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