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Final climate change deal keeps emissions in check, if it sticks
After weeks of work, the United Nations is on the cusp of reaching a deal to prevent climate change... hopefully. A just-published final draft agreement sets some clear targets that include a hefty amount of cooperation. The deal would limit the global temperature increase to "well below" 2 Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and reach a balance in greenhouse gas emissions (that is, as many offsets as there are emitters) by the second half of this century. There would be a progress review every five years, and developing countries would get a helping hand to the tune of $100 billion per year as of 2020.
Draft climate change deal lowers greenhouse gases by 2050
Earth just took a tentative step toward a new, comprehensive plan for improving the environment. Representatives from 195 countries have approved a draft UN climate change agreement that will ask all participants to lower their carbon dioxide emissions. There are still many, many details left to resolve ahead of a final deal (ideally signed next week), but the ultimate goal is to have countries reduce their greenhouse gas levels by 2050, and to eliminate emissions completely between 2060 and 2080.
Volkswagen scandal might force it to sell luxury brands
The Volkswagen saga continues, as the company deals with the aftermath of its emissions scandal. According to Reuters, the German automaker has secured a loan of roughly 20 billion euros in order to pay for resulting lawsuits and to compensate consumers whose cars are now worth less following the admission. However, there's a catch. In order to assure that it can pay back the loan, Volkswagen had to confirm that it's prepared to sell off some of its smaller holdings including Bentley, Lamborghini and Ducati.
VW explains how it will fix its European diesel engines
Volkswagen released a short explainer video on YouTube Wednesday, outlining the measures needed to bring its line of EA 189 diesel engines back into compliance with EPA regulations. The EA 189s are the 1.6- and 2-liter diesel engines at the heart of the company's recent emissions scandal that has seen more than 8.5 million cars recalled in Germany alone.
VW's emissions shenanigans may go back as far as 2009
Volkswagen has disclosed to regulators that issues with emissions from its larger cars and SUVs may actually date back more than six years and encompass thousands of more vehicles, the EPA reported on Friday. Essentially, the company is confirming what the EPA accused it of back at the start of the month: that VW, Porsche and Audi SUVs equipped with 3.0 liter, 6 cylinder gas engines were gaming smog tests in the same manner as VW's diesel vehicles. The EPA's investigation is ongoing.[Image Credit: Getty]
EPA plans more real-world emissions tests in light of VW's cheating
Car makers like Volkswagen should have an even tougher time cheating on emissions tests than they first thought. The Environmental Protection Agency has revealed that it'll include considerably more real-world diesel emissions tests as part of its improved inspections. The on-the-road testing isn't as sophisticated as what you'd find in the lab, but it should reduces the chances that companies will fudge results. Moreover, vendors won't get a chance at optimizing for the EPA's new tests -- it's keeping its exact methodology a secret.
VW offers $1,000 in gift cards and vouchers to affected diesel owners
Volkwagen's attempt to compensate vehicle owners who drive one of the models included in the company's emissions scandal is now official. The initial reports were indeed correct, as the company will offer $1,000 in gift cards and other incentives to VW customers. On top of a $500 dealership credit, the 482,000 diesel owners will also receive a $500 Visa gift card that can be used anywhere and free roadside assistance for three years. Audi customers who drive affected vehicles will be privy to the same "goodwill package," too. Owners will have to visit a special website to request the items by entering their car's VIN number and mileage alongside their name and address. Volkwagen says those customers should receive the package in a month. The company is already offering $2,000 in trade-in credit, and with today's announcement, the total compensation for owners of vehicles included in the on-going saga can be worth up to $3,000.[Image credit: Getty Images]
Volkswagen also lied about its gas-powered cars
Volkswagen admitted in September that it used defeat devices aimed at fooling emissions tests in 11 million of its diesel vehicles -- but now its gasoline models are implicated in the scandal as well. On Tuesday, Volkswagen reported that it understated the level of carbon dioxide emissions of about 800,000 vehicles, including gasoline-powered models. This is the first confirmation that some of Volkswagen's gasoline-run vehicles do in fact exceed carbon dioxide emissions. The company didn't provide details in today's revelation, but it said the conclusion comes after conducting internal emissions tests.
Volkswagen chokes on its first loss in 15 years
After inventing a diesel engine that doesn't emit any harmful gases into the atmosphere, you'd think that VW would never run out of money ever again. Despite this, the German auto maker has just posted a quarterly loss of €3.48 billion ($3.84 billion) which, if we're honest, makes very little sense. After all, the financial documents reveal that the firm was making a pile of money up until September, and then everything drops off a cliff. The only thing that makes sense is if something totally implausible took place, like discovering that the firm was using software in a global system of emissions fraud. But, if we're honest, nobody in their right mind would attempt something so irresponsible as that, would they.
Volkswagen had 'several' emissions cheating devices
Those suspicions that Volkswagen cooked up more than one defeat device to cheat on emissions tests? They may be well-founded. Reuters tipsters claim that the car maker produced "several versions" of the gadget to suit different diesel engines. VW isn't confirming anything (it's still in the midst of an internal investigation), although it makes sense. The company has had different variants of TDI engines over the years, and different regional emissions standards would have required at least modified software.
Car makers are worried tougher emission tests will kill diesel sales
If you guessed that the ever-expanding Volkswagen diesel scandal would make other automakers nervous... you guessed well. In a statement, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) worries that regulators will demand overly strict emissions tests and standards. Extra-tough requirements would supposedly make some diesel-based vehicles (which are popular in Europe) "effectively unaffordable," leaving vendors with no choice but to axe those models. The industry is in favor of better tests, the ACEA insists -- it just wants more "realistic" goals.
Germany orders recall of 8.5 million emissions-cheating Volkwagens
The outcome for consumers affected by the diesel emissions cheating scandal that has enveloped Volkswagen over the past month is becoming clearer, at least in Europe. According to the AP, Germany is ordering the company to recall all cars that include the emissions-cheating software across the European Union. That comes out to 8.5 million cars out of the total 11 million affected vehicles that were sold worldwide. Naturally, the fix will be free for owners -- and it's still possible that Volkswagen could compensate those who own cars affected by the scandal, as resale values are sure to drop significantly.
VW's 2016 diesels have a different device that may dupe emissions tests
Just when you thought the Volkswagen emissions scandal couldn't get any worse, it might do just that. The automaker revealed to US regulators last week that its 2016 diesel models may have a different device that could help those vehicles earn higher marks on the government's emissions tests. The tech in question is "auxiliary emissions control device" separate from the software on automobiles made between 2009-2015 that was first disclosed last month. This new software heats the pollution control catalyst quicker, boosting the performance of the components responsible for separating harmful nitrogen dioxide into nitrogen and oxygen.[Image credit: Matt Cardy/Getty Images]
Volkswagen may give money to owners of emissions-cheating cars
If you're one of the 11 million owners of a Volkswagen car that's part of the company's huge emissions cheating scandal, you might be getting some compensation for the vehicle's lost value. As reported by ABC News, Volkswagen US CEO Michael Horn (pictured above) testified today in front of a congressional subcommittee and said that the company might pay the owners of affected cars as a way to make up for the fact that resale value for those vehicles (and indeed pretty much any VW out there) is going to drop. However, Horn said that Volkswagen wouldn't be refunding customers money. The company also isn't planning to provide loaner cars for owners, as the affected vehicles are still safe to drive (even though they're releasing up to 40 times more than the EPA's acceptable standard).
Volkswagen's US head knew of possible emissions trouble in 2014
It's no longer a secret that Volkswagen's management was aware of the company's shady diesel emissions practices. Now, however, it's evident that this awareness included some of the car maker's top brass. American group CEO Michael Horn states that he was told of a "possible emissions non-compliance" in spring 2014, or significantly earlier than US execs had hinted at so far. Staff had supposedly told him that engineers would work with the Environmental Protection Agency to fix the problem. Clearly, that didn't happen before word of the scandal got out.
Volkswagen will recall its super-polluting cars in 2016
Matthias Mueller, the man that Volkswagen hopes will save the company after Emissions-gate, has revealed the first stage in his rescue plan. According to Reuters, the executive told German media that the firm will begin recalling its emissions-cheating vehicles in January, with the program running until the end of 2016. Mueller is quoted as saying that the vehicles will all be "fixed" by that date, implying that the company has found a safe way to reduce their emissions levels. In addition, Mueller has revealed that he's using the crisis as justification to conduct a top-down reorganization of the German car conglomerate. The chief has pledged to make his company smaller and less centralized, adding that each of its various divisions will have to justify their contribution to the overall firm. Which, if we're honest, sounds ominous in the extreme.[Image Credit: AFP/Getty]
Volkswagen says 1.2 million UK cars involved in emissions scandal
After confirming that it will spend more than 6.5 billion euros (£4.8 billion) to fix the 11 million vehicles affected by its diesel emissions scandal, Volkswagen has come clean over how many of those are in the UK. The company says a total of 1,189,906 British cars with EA 189 EU5 engines will be recalled in the coming weeks and is in the process of contacting affected customers about what they need to do. It also plans to create a "self-serve process" for owners to check if their car is impacted by the issue, but notes that all of its vehicles are "technically safe and roadworthy" in the meantime.
Xprize challenge offers $20 million to curb fossil fuel emissions
Sadly, carbon dioxide emissions aren't going away just yet. However, the Xprize crew would like to at least see those emissions do something besides accelerate climate change. They're launching the NRG COSIA Carbon Xprize, a competition that will hand out a total of $20 million to teams that convert fossil fuels' CO2 output into genuinely useful products. The 4.5-year challenge will be separated into two tracks (one for coal emissions, the other for natural gas), both of which will offer a pool of $2.5 million for hitting initial lab milestones and a $7.5 million grand prize for whoever succeeds in the real world.
Volkswagen knew about shady emissions practices years ago
Volkswagen's recently departed CEO may have been caught off-guard by his company's attempt to hide true diesel car emissions from regulators, but there are now signs that some VW higher-ups knew the truth. German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagzeitung claims that technicians had warned about dodgy emissions practices in 2011, while Bild maintains that key supplier Bosch told "top circles" at VW about its emissions concerns back in 2007. It's not clear just who knew about the issues and where the buck stops -- VW is declining to comment, which isn't surprising when it's still in the midst of an investigation into what happened.
The EPA is cracking down hard on auto industry shenanigans
The smogging scandal that has enveloped Volkswagen has also left the Environmental Protection Agency with something of a black eye. So even though the EPA failed to catch on to VW's games this time, the agency is damn sure not about to let it happen again. Like, ever. "The Volkswagen violations before us now make it clear, we need to adapt and step up our oversight," Janet McCabe, acting administrator in the EPA's Office of Air and Radiation, said during a press conference.
