VW, what hast thou done?

[Onkel Neal]

Diesel scandal victims await villains

Man, this is big news here. A lot of people angry over this. Seems VW's computer system was designed to run clean, but only under emissions testing conditions. Under normal conditions, they run dirty, in order to make the mpg and power people expect.

I’ve long admired the basic technology. Diesel engines create combustion by compressing fuel and oxygen. They last longer and use fewer parts.

They also use less fuel, thus producing less carbon dioxide that causes climate change. Friends would return from Europe with stories about renting Ford Fiesta diesels that got 65 miles per gallon. But they were dirty, so we couldn’t have one in the U.S.

Until 2009, when Volkswagen and other German car companies began rolling out quiet, powerful engines that met California air quality standards.