Ford under criminal investigation in US over auto emissions

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/apr/26/ford-under-criminal-investigation-in-us-over-auto-emissions

Ford under criminal investigation in US over auto emissions

Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent

Fri 26 Apr 2019 17.34 BST

The US Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into Ford’s emissions certification process.

Ford said on Friday it was fully cooperating with government agencies, as it became the latest car manufacturer to be investigated over emissions. However, Ford said the concerns did not involve the use of defeat devices – the cheat software used to deliberately lower emissions during official tests, which were at the heart of the Volkswagen “dieselgate” scandal in 2015.

According to a regulatory filing by Ford, the company voluntarily disclosed what it called a “potential concern” to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California’s Air Resources Board two months ago. Ford said in February it had hired external experts to check its testing procedures after its employees raised concerns.

The focus of the investigation appears to be whether Ford accurately assessed the “road load”, or drag and resistance, of its vehicles, and its “coast down” testing, when a vehicle stops once power is no longer applied.

The modelling can significantly alter the certified emissions: a report by the International Council on Clean Transportation in 2016 found that in every model it analysed manufacturers were underplaying road load figures and subsequent carbon emissions by an average of 7%.