This is a feel good poison pill to set precident. How do you stop developers from fiddling in their own hardware to adjust settings? Allow the poor defenseless manufacturers to lock down the system and give them more legal ways to attack people researching it. Wouldnt want someone to figure out that the subscription service we installed in their car is locally controlled! Goodness an error? Only our certified dealers can…
This is being approached in a way to weaken right to repair and ownership rights.
This is literally a few cars on the road. How about we don’t stop investing into electrification and we won’t have this problem in the future.
Weirdly enough there’s a pretty easy way to stop emissions limits from being bypassed - make it a physical limitation, not in software.
But like with putting tablets into every fucking car nowadays, doing anything physically would require just a bit more money, ergo it won’t be done.
How would that work? I’m a diesel technician and a lot of the work I do is emissions related.
I guess we’d have to go back to using carburetors
Carburetors on a diesel engine?
Also, that’s absolutely horrendous for emissions and air pollution. I think it’s essentially impossible to have emissions control not tied to software.
Yeah because that’ll be great for emissions lol
Also carbs make it pretty easy to adjust fueling, etc.
Background on the Case
The DOJ first sued EZ Lynk in 2021, accusing the Cayman Islands-based company of violating the Clean Air Act by marketing and selling “defeat devices.”
These tools allegedly allow users to bypass factory emissions controls on diesel vehicles, primarily through the EZ Lynk Auto Agent app paired with an onboard diagnostic (OBD) hardware dongle.And that’s one example of how one progressive goal (of reducing emissions, ecology, regulating industry etc) and another (of right to repair and tinker) can require a compromise.
OK, from where I am your problems in US are cool to read about, here that kind of customization is in the “fuck around and find out” territory with huge fines, but I see no concern about ecology either.
Myth #1 – Deleting or Tuning a Truck is Legal
There is no way around this; it is 100% illegal to tamper with or modify the emission system on your truck in any way. It isn’t a state or local law (although those exist, as well), but Federal law. When we mention this, the first thing customers say is that “it’s for off-highway use only” or “it’s for tractor pulls.” They have the idea in their head that this will allow them to skirt around any laws, and that’s hardly the case.
Yes, you can legally have your emission system removed from your vehicle, but it requires recertification by the manufacturer and a new emission label and certification issued. You can’t just sign a piece of paper and proclaim you’ve re-certified your engine. You would need to go through the costly process of having your engine re-certified by the original equipment manufacturer.
Another common misconception among clients is that the EPA doesn’t go after small businesses. For reference, the EPA provides a list, by year, of every single resolution that is brought up against the Clean Air Act for vehicles. You will find cases ranging from providers of tuning equipment being charged over $4 million to a single owner performing a DPF delete on one vehicle.
Are you trying to say that they are wrong with this text still only mentioning US law?
No. This is literally me comparing their law to our law.
They claim where they are from (not the US) doing this kind of deletion is FAFO territory.
I’m pointing out that it’s illegal (Federally) in the US as well. I think there are ways to use the app legally that don’t involve deletions, but the government is gonna do government things so the expectation should be that the government does in fact target random individuals to hold accountable.
Oh, I see. Thanks!
