eSignature Legitimacy for Engineering in European Union

How to eSign a document: e-signature legitimacy for Engineering in European Union

on today's episode eu antitrust law has just slapped the handcuffs on automotive [Music] engineering [Music] today's episode is brought to you by engineering.com a globally trusted source for engineering content check out this and many other exclusive videos for the engineering professional found only on engineering.com tv today well it's another day another scandal for german automakers and this time it's not just about volkswagen the european commission has led a whopping 875 million euro fine against daimler bmw and volkswagen group over those companies emissions technology engineering collaboration over a five-year period from 2009 to 2014. now the commission alleges that the engineering collaboration included agreed limits to tankage volume for the urea solution after treatment additive needed by all modern selective catalytic reduction diesel emission systems now the commission also alleges that the companies conspired to restrict the development of technologies that could have reduced emissions to levels below eu mandated standards so it sounds like a simple anti-trust case doesn't it well it isn't now this really may in fact be very dangerous for companies and individual engineers working on new technologies inside the automotive industry and in other sectors too the first part of the ruling about tank volume and range limitations that works against one of the most important forces needed for widespread adoption of any new technology standardization at the turn of the last century a lack of standardization and things like fasteners and even sockets and receptacles for domestic electrical use created a nightmare scenario for end users who were locked into specific vendors a little like the apple and android environment today if a light bulb failed you had to buy a specific replacement if you bought a toaster the plug might not fit into the wall socket it was recognized early and globally that this lack of standardization would hobble development of sectors like household electrical appliances and the automotive industry and as a result standards were set and leading corporations were key drivers behind that standardization now it's irrational for the european commission to conclude that a lack of competitiveness in additive tank volumes represents a restraint of trade but i think it's really just the excuse for the real attack on automotive engineering the emissions standards when governments regulate activities whether it's a household fuse or an airliner's flight control system they set a standard to which manufacturing companies engineered their products vw daimler and bmw developed a technology which met the eu-nox standards but the commission has ruled that because the automakers had the potential to develop technologies that are much cleaner than the eu standards that they had a legal obligation to field those technologies now this is regulatory creep in the extreme it's not enough to meet a government standard but if it's possible to exceed it this ruling states that engineers must do so now in the real world there are costs for every gram of co2 every part per million of nox co and umber hydrocarbons that are remediated no manufacturer can rationally be expected to incur costs to build products that far exceed government regulations especially if there's no evidence that consumers are willing to pay for it and the resulting legal childless will have on design engineers means that creative minds that think of better ways to do things now have a choice to make pitch their idea with an email and paper trail and risk liability later or keep the good ideas to themselves perhaps whispered to colleagues over the water cooler engineering is a team sport and a basic principle designing things that are better and faster is collaboration the more the better i'm sure the european commission meant well but like all government agencies they appear to be oblivious to the potential long-term harm that seems to happen every time the lawyers inject themselves into the engineering process if the eu wanted tougher diesel standards they should have set them not punished companies after the fact for not doing something they were not legally required to do government regulation frequently works the opposite the way it's intended to work now this is an example but there's a more tragic one the boeing 737 max in that case boeing engineered a system to accommodate an arcane faa standard and hundreds of people are dead as a result the people making the rules can't know what damage they do and there's no way to know what innovation doesn't happen because of the legal chill of regulatory agencies indiscriminate actions now common sense needs to be added to the regulatory process and i suggest the regulators start by actually talking to engineers well that's it for today's episode of end of the line brought to you by engineering.com if you like this show be sure to subscribe to our channel and click on the 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