VW's Cheating Diesels Won't Be U.S.-Emissions Compliant After Recall Fix
In the weeks before Volkswagen's $14.7 billion settlement with the U.S. government over its emissions-cheating diesels was finalized, there was some doubt that the cars would ever be fully fixed. The recall fix has still yet to be approved, but increasingly, it looks like the cars affected will never meet U.S emissions standards.
The California Air Resources Board estimates that VW's fix will reduce emissions in cars equipped with 2.0-liter TDI engines between 80 and 90 percent, according to a Bloomberg report. While this does represent a significant reduction in Nitrogen Oxide emissions, it isn't enough to meet the standards VW originally intended to evade. As part of its settlement, VW will contribute $2.7 billion to fund pollution reduction efforts, and an additional $2 billion towards clean energy programs in an attempt to offset its excess pollution.
Fully fixing the cheating cars would likely involve adding a urea tank to each car affected, which was deemed far too expensive and complex to be done. That's why VW and U.S. regulators agreed on a settlement involving extensive buybacks, a partial fix, and pollution mitigation efforts. Additionally, the EPA wanted to arrive at a solution that prioritized reducing emissions and compensating owners as quickly as possible, rather than waiting for a full fix.
The fix is mainly intended for customers who decide to forgo the option of a buyback or a lease cancellation. For those who bought one of these diesel Volkswagens for environmental reasons, news of a non-emissions-compliant fix makes a buyback a much more appealing proposition.
News of this comes a week after the California Air Resources Board rejected VW's proposed fix for various VW, Audi, and Porsche models equipped with emissions-cheating 3.0-liter V6 diesels. If the company can't work out a satisfactory fix for those cars, it'll potentially face more costly buybacks.
