EPA approves fix for 326,000 VW diesels, but will owners take it?

If you live in the U.S. and you own one of the 475,000 or so 2.0-liter Audi or VW diesels affected by the Volkswagen Dieselgate scandal, we have good news and bad news.

Since it's Friday, we'll start with the good news: your car can probably be fixed. The Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board have approved a repair for 326,000 diesels equipped with defeat devices that allow them to cheat on emissions tests. With the illegal gadgets engaged, Volkswagen's diesels can emit up to 40 times the legal limit of nitrogen oxide.

The repair/upgrade involves hardware and software adjustments to the affected vehicles. Combined with fixes that were previously approved for others Dieselgate cars, roughly 98 percent of Volkswagen's smaller "clean diesel" vehicles in America can now be brought in line with federal and state law.

California gives Volkswagen green light for clean vehicle infrastructure plan

California regulators gave Volkswagen AG the go-ahead on Thursday to start expanding clean vehicle infrastructure across the state, after debate over whether the German automaker's plan would do enough to help disadvantaged communities.

The California Air Resources Board voted unanimously to approve the 30-month, $200 million plan, the first tranche of $800 million that Volkswagen has agreed to spend in California as part of its court settlement over diesel emissions cheating.

Volkswagen must spend $2 billion nationwide over 10 years to advance zero emissions vehicles, including charging, development of ride-sharing fleets and other efforts. An adequate number of charging stations is central to the adoption of electric vehicles, and state and local governments are expanding their infrastructure, often through partnerships with automakers. read more »

FCA can sell 2017 Ram, Jeep Grand Cherokee diesels

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said Friday it has received certification from the Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board that allows the company to produce and sell 2017 model-year Ram 1500 pickups and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs with 3-liter diesel engines.

The automaker said the updates for the 2017 model year include modified emissions software calibrations but no hardware changes. The company said it doesn’t expect the modified calibrations to have any impact on fuel economy or performance.

The certification comes after months of work between the agencies and the automaker to address regulator concerns about diesel emissions control technologies used on earlier versions of diesel Ram pickup and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Earlier this year, the Justice Department filed a civil complaint against FCA over allegations of emissions cheating on more than 100,000 diesel Ram pickups and Jeep Grand Cherokees. read more »