Volkswagen and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are looking into testing different hardware and software that may help Volkswagen not have to buy back hundreds of thousands of diesel cars sold in the United States that were installed with defeat devices to cheat emissions testing.
CARB are working with the German car maker to see whether there are any fixes that could allow Volkswagen to fix its effected diesel engines in order to help them reduce the financial damage that the company would face. But this still may not be enough to appease disgruntled owners, or help to preserve Volkswagen’s reputation since being tarnished by the emissions scandal.
Working with California Air Resources Board
The California Air Resources Board originally refused to repair the diesel engines that contained the defeat devices as it believed the vehicles fell short of meeting the legal requirements, according to reports. However, California officials believe that they have developed technology that will allow for Volkswagen to repair the affected diesel vehicles and make them road worthy – meaning Volkswagen will not have to buy back so many cars if the technology is successful. This could save Volkswagen a lot of money.
Why we are sceptical
Given the wealth of independent testing which has shown problems arising from the fix – as well as reports from our own clients who are having issues post-fix – we’re sceptical of this proposal. At the end of the day, the software allowed the cars to pass the pollution test by knowing when to switch the emission control software on – a clear underhanded tactic which, we can only assume, was adopted because they couldn’t keep their vehicles within the legal requirements.
There is never an excuse to cheat the system though.
When the car was not being tested, the software was switched off, and the cars emitted nitrogen oxide up to 40 times the legal limit. The blatancy of such a device is astounding – as is the fact that there are some 11 million cars fitted with the devices over the six year period all over the world.
Satisfying Regulators
Volkswagen reached a settlement proposal for US customers amounting to around $15 billion, which included a buy back scheme. Volkswagen are to offer to buy back affected vehicles between 2009 and 2016. However, with the possibility of repairs that would significantly reduce pollution levels emitted from the vehicles, the buy back may no longer be required.
Volkswagen must show that these fixes will improve between 80-90% of affected vehicles according to the reports. It’s a big ask…
As the Volkswagen emission scandal continues to unfold we will keep you updated on everything that is happening.
Making a claim
If you have been affected by the Volkswagen emission scandal you may be entitled to compensation. If your vehicle is one of the affected vehicles we urge you to contact us. We represent thousands here in the UK as we lead the action to fight for the rights of victims across Great Britain.
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