Overview

Arvind Thiruvengadam is a mechanical engineering researcher at West Virginia University (WVU) who co-authored the landmark 2014 study that exposed Volkswagen's massive emissions cheating scandal; one of the largest corporate frauds in history. Working at WVU's Center for Alternative Fuels; Engines; and Emissions (CAFEE); Thiruvengadam and his colleague Daniel Carder conducted real-world on-road emissions testing of VW diesel vehicles using portable emissions measurement systems. Their testing revealed that VW's "clean diesel" vehicles were emitting up to 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen oxides (NOx) during normal driving; despite passing laboratory emissions tests. This discrepancy proved that VW had installed illegal "defeat device" software that detected when cars were being tested and temporarily reduced emissions only during testing. The discovery; initially commissioned by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT); led to VW admitting it had installed the software in approximately 11 million vehicles worldwide. The scandal cost VW over $33 billion in fines; settlements; and vehicle buybacks; the CEO resigned; and multiple executives were criminally charged. Thiruvengadam's work demonstrated the critical importance of independent academic research in exposing corporate fraud that regulators failed to detect for years.

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Related Investigations (1)

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Sources & Documentation

1 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports