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Comment by nimbius | Hacker News Reader

"If you want your software to be adopted by Americans"

Not to get too off-topic, but while taking the piss out of America is all good fun it should be emphasized that the original nature of the scandal wasnt just Americans whining about dirty engines.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_emissions_scandal#L...

20 countries, the EU included, filed criminal charges against high level executives at Volkswagen factories across the globe. the CEO himself was arrested in Germany.

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> "If you want your software to be adopted by Americans"

> Not to get too off-topic, but while taking the piss out of America

I read the opposite into it. I figured it was a piss-take directed at VW.

It's important to note that the regulatory bodies of UK, France and Germany lobbied to keep the loopholes in emissions testing: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/24/uk-franc... . Probably because the governments want to keep their car industry booming and the jobs secured...

I don't think that Martin Winterkorn (the former CEO of Volkswagen) was arrested. Maybe you are talking about Rupert Stadler (CEO of Audi, a Volkswagen daughter)

As an American I find it endlessly amusing when Europeans poke fun at us, the history of the 21st century so far makes it almost too easy. The jokes write themselves.

But yes, Europeans should be as mad as anyone, the con of clean diesel that has been foisted upon them has killed at least a few hundred over the years.

http://theweek.com/speedreads/798035/world-leaders-literally...

> clean diesel…has killed at least a few hundred over the years

    [citation needed]

Particulates and NOx. http://www.iiasa.ac.at/web/home/about/news/170918-diesel-nox...

"Health effect estimates"

"This new study estimates that ..."

Which means people did a study, and drew some conclusions, which you reject in a comment on the internet. Do you have research that contradicts theirs? do you have concerns with their methodology?

estimates vs "has killed".

Coal plants have killed. NOx emissions have killed. Lead has killed. Nuclear waste has killed. Gamma rays have killed.

You're trying to complicate something that is very simple.

It is of course entirely possible that coal/lead/nuclear/etc. provide way more benefit than the harm, too.

Like that Puerto Rico hurricane study?

Do you have research that shows clean diesel makes people live?

Maybe you should pipe diesel to a tank containing a person, err wait not a person a money... Oh wait. Volkswagen did that.

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