40 CFR 86.1809-10 – Prohibition of defeat devices
law.cornell.edu
law.cornell.edu
Defeat device means an auxiliary emission control device (AECD) that reduces the effectiveness of the emission control system under conditions which may reasonably be expected to be encountered in normal vehicle operation and use, unless:
(1) Such conditions are substantially included in the Federal emission test procedure;
(2) The need for the AECD is justified in terms of protecting the vehicle against damage or accident; or
(3) The AECD does not go beyond the requirements of engine starting.
Corporations will often attempt to either circumvent or break the spirit of laws and regulations that reduce their profit margins. They've been doing this for aeons. Keep this in mind the next time a BigCo (or LittleCo with disguised ties to a BigCo) is trying to rally sentiment with the "Too Much Regulation is Killing My Business!" banner. [0]
If the average corporation was a person, it would likely be the worst person I have ever had the displeasure of meeting.
[0] General notice: Please read that sentence very closely before you think about rebutting it. If it caused you to take umbrage, you may be pattern matching on the white noise between the lines.
Or just a LittleCo, with no special ties to anyone.
All 10 articles I've seen about the VW thing, each and everyone of them used 'defeat device' in either double or single quotes without explaining what it is just that the EPA doesn't like it.
From autonews to the various posts and times and the editorials no one explained it.
Heck even Google doesn't really knows it, i found the explanation for this only in a site containing definitions for shipping (as in a Ship) terminologies.