On September 18th of 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that Volkswagen, a formally reputable manufacturer of diesel vehicles, had been cheating regulated emission tests by incorporating a “defeat device” into theirsoftware controls[1]. The software control recognizes when the vehicle is being run under emission testing conditions versus regular driver operation. If the software detects the vehicle is operating under testing conditions, the engine operation is modified (i.e. timing of fuel injection and air/fuel ratio) such that the resulting engine exhaust contains fewer air pollutants (e.g. particulates and nitrous oxides (NOx)). These low level pollutants can be treated by the vehicle’s catalytic converters. Conversely, if the software detects normal operation (e.g. a human driving the vehicle), engines operate for peak performance, resulting in greater air pollutants that the vehicle’s catalytic converters are unable to treat. The result is the release of high amounts of air pollutants into the atmosphere. In general, when car manufacturers need to design for less air pollution, both fuel economy (greater MPG) and power (e.g. time to go from 060 mph) are compromised. Using recently published literature (news articles, industry websites, etc.), uncoverthe underlying details ofthe above VW scandal. A number of articles are referenced to get you started [25]. Afterthinking about what you read, answer the fundamental ethical questionssurrounding the scandal. Be sure to cite as you write and include a list ofreferences in IEEE format at the end of this assignment. 50% ofthis assignment will be graded on how well you addressed the fundamental ethical questions. The second half will be graded on writing quality. A detailed rubric can be found on BBLearn. Memorandum Page 2 Fundamental Ethical Questions (1) Identify the underlying ethical issues. Explicitly state the primary ethical dilemma, and work to identify any secondary ethical dilemmas within this case. (2) Stakeholders Identify the various stakeholders in the case? What are their interests? Who/what are negatively and/or positively impacted by the case? Start with those most immediate to the actions then think more broadly. (3) Ignorance As an engineer deciding what to do next in this case, are there any relevant facts that are either unclear or unstated? What are they? Why are they relevant? Who needs to know them? Who could discover them and how? (4) Codes and Cannons As an engineer deciding what to do next in this case, what are the relevant engineering professional codes? What do the engineering codes of conduct suggest should be done next? Are there any important conflicts in what they suggest? (5) Ethics and Legality Are there any moral considerations or constraints raised by this case that are not fully addressed by the professional codes and cannons? Are there any remaining legal considerations or constraints? (6) Possible Actions What are three reasonable courses of action that could have been done differently at Volkswagen, before they were publically outed? As an engineer deciding what to do next, what are three reasonable courses of action that Volkswagen can do next? (7) Evaluating Actions With respect to the three possible courses of action that could have been taken by Volkswagen, which one is the most justified all things considered? Explain why this one is the most justified, all things considered. What are the positive and negative consequences of this course of action? Memorandum Page 3 References [1]. United States Environmental Protection Agency, “Volkswagen Light Duty Diesel Vehicle Violations for Model Years 20092016,” 2015. [Online]. Available: http://www2.epa.gov/vw Accessed on November, 17, 2015. [2]. M. Ramsey, “Volkswagen Emissions Problem Exposed by Routine University Research,” The Wall Street Journal, Sept, 2015. [Online]. Available: http://www.wsj.com/articles/volkswagenemissionsproblemexposedbyroutineuniversityresearch1443023854. Accessed on November, 17, 2015. [3]. P. Patel, “Engineers, Ethics and the VW Scandal,” IEEE Spectrum, Sept, 2015. [Online]. Available: http://spectrum.ieee.org/carsthatthink/atwork/education/vwscandalshockingbutnotsurprisingethicistssay. Accessed on November, 17, 2015. [4]. W. Boston, “Volkswagen Emissions Investigation Zeroes in on Two Engineers,” The Wall Street Journal, Sept, 2015. [Online]. Available: http://www.wsj.com/articles/vwemissionsprobezeroesinontwoengineers1444011602. Accessed on November, 17, 2015. [5]. R. Hotten, “Volkswagen: The scandal explained,” BBC News, Nov, 2015. [Online]. Available: http://www.bbc.com/news/business34324772. Accessed on November, 17, 2015
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