Exhaust Emission Control Costly for TDI

Image of TDI Exhaust System from CleanMPG.com 

Costly, complicated, exhaust gas fluid replacement, diesel particulate filters that clog, multiple failure prone sensors in expensive steel alloys components that look like a miniature chemical engineering factory.


Dieselgate

Volkswagen VW destroyed diesel with diesel-gate emissions cheating system scandal. They software engineered the VCM & ECU with hidden software that could detect when a TDI vehicle was being tested at an emissions control testing facility. The hidden software would change the fuel injection, ignition & valve control timing in order to reduce NOx or oxides of nitrogen emissions that would otherwise cause a test failure.

When the TDI vehicles were out on the road the vehicle computer would utilize super lean burn control that saved fuel and boosted the drivers realized fuel economy. Sadly lean burn operation of the TDI caused the combustion temperatures to elevate so high that more oxides of nitrogen were forming, some 40x greater than the legal limits set by clean air and emissions regulation laws in most countries.

To Jail VW Executives

Crimes were committed by many of VW's executives during the execution of the development of the secrete emissions cheating software. Many of the VW executives were tried in court and charge and convicted of crimes, ordered to step down from their roles as auto executives, given prison sentences and fined grand amounts of punitive damages and penalties. Tens of billions in losses resulted from the ensuing massive TDI vehicle recall. Abandoning TDI, now VW vows to go with gasoline hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure battery electric vehicles.

TDI Fuel Economy & Torque Made Them Popular

One of the main benefits of the TDI engine technology was lots of torque down low in the RPM range, while returning 40+ MPG in most TDI vehicles even when going 70MPH steady in highway  cruising operation. The electric motors in the Nissan Leaf produce more torque sooner than most VW TDI engines.

Instant Torque Electric

Electric motors can produce amazing amounts of torque using magnetic fields created by current flowing through coils of wire controlled by an inverted power control module using using polyphase power control to achieve regeneration brushless operation and good power output curve optimization across a broad range of load conditions and more of the motors RPM range. How electric motors are controlled greatly influences their energy efficiency, longevity and performance. Better motor controllers means better electric vehicles with longer range and improved energy economy.

Battery Costs Replace Gasoline

The main problem with battery electric vehicles comes down to an expensive large battery that will wear out over time, reducing range and performance. The Nissan Leaf for example comes with a battery than costs $5000 + labor to replace. Half the costs of my Segway Mini-Pro's come from the battery energy storage module. The main drivetrain of most electric vehicles has few moving components, so fewer bearings, and fewer things to go wrong. Electric motor are vastly less complex than modern internal combustion engines. Electric motors are up to 90% efficient with the energy powering their operation. Most gasoline passenger vehicle engines are less than %40 efficient at turning the chemical fuel energy into power to move the vehicle.