VW
Latest
Inhabitat's Week in Green: Solar roadways, and more!
Photovoltaic roads sound almost like science fiction, but they're becoming reality in the US. This week Missouri announced plans to pave a section of the historic Route 66 with energy-generating Solar Roadways tiles. In other futuristic transportation news, Russia wants to build a 44-mile-long hyperloop track that stretches along the coast to China. Driverless cars are expected to hit prime time within the next five years, and we explored whether the convenience they offer will fuel suburban sprawl. Volkswagen promised to pay a whopping $14.7 billion to owners of cars affected by the emissions cheating scandal. And if you hate parallel parking, check out these incredible omnidirectional wheels that allow any car to drive sideways.
VW agrees to $14.7 billion settlement over US diesel claims
After news of a settlement broke yesterday, Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal settlement will indeed hit $15 billion in the US. The official paperwork was filed with the Justice Department today, the automaker will shell out $14.7 billion in two separate settlements -- one with the United States and the state of California and another with the Federal Trade Commission. Figures have continued to rise since the initial reports of $5,000 per vehicle in April rose to $10,000 each. That money, which totals just over $10 billion, will be used to buy back affected vehicles at their pre-cheating scandal price. The actual payouts will range from $5,100 to $10,000 plus the value of the car before news of the emissions test first broke.
Expect a settlement in the Volkswagen emissions fiasco tomorrow
A federal judge has given Volkswagen until Tuesday, June 28th, to present a plan aimed at making amends in the diesel emissions scandal that's been dogging the company for nearly a year. Reuters and Bloomberg report that the settlement will cost VW $15 billion. In September, regulators discovered VW was using emissions-concealing software in roughly 500,000 of its diesel vehicles sold since 2008.
AP: VW will shell out $10.2 billion to settle emissions claims
Volkswagen is set to pay $10.2 billion to settle claims in the emissions-dodging scandal, the AP reports. Last year, Volkswagen was caught using software that disguised the true emissions output of 600,000 of its diesel vehicles sold since 2008, and the scandal may affect as many as 11 million automobiles worldwide. So far, the boondoggle has cost Volkswagen an estimated $18.2 billion and it led to the resignation of CEO Martin Winterkorn, among other executives. Reports surfaced in April that Volkswagen would buy back roughly 500,000 affected vehicles, plus offer extra cash to their owners from an apology fund totaling $1 billion.
Volkswagen plans to launch 30 electric cars in 10 years
With an $18.2 billion emissions scandal weighing heavy on its bank balance, Volkswagen is hoping electric cars will offer a brighter future. At a recent press conference, company CEO Matthias Müller unveiled "Together - Strategy 2025," a new initiative designed to put 30 new electric vehicles on the road within 10 years. The idea, Müller says, is "to learn from mistakes made, rectify shortcomings and establish a corporate culture that is open, value-driven and rooted in integrity."
Inhabitat's Week in Green: The first freeform 3D-printed house
After 20 years of construction, Switzerland just completed the world's longest and deepest rail tunnel. The 35-mile Gotthard Base Tunnel runs 1.5 miles under the mountains connecting northern and southern Europe. In other transportation news, Paris just banned all cars made before 1997 in a bid to reduce air pollution. Tesla's battery Gigafactory is set to host its grand opening on July 29th, while a new report claims that Volkswagen is spending $15.5 billion to build a gigantic battery factory of its own. Consumer Reports ranked the Toyota Prius as the car with the best gas mileage it has ever tested, and Ford announced that the Fusion Energi can travel further than any other plug-in hybrid on the market.
Volkswagen ponders a luxury Uber rival with Porsche cars
Last week, the Volkswagen group dumped $300 million into Gett, a taxi hailing-cum-ride sharing app that's big outside of the US. Now, the company has revealed that it's pondering a rival to Uber Black by offering private drivers access to its higher-end vehicles. Details are scarce since it's a single line reference in a very long press release, but VW says that it's looking at a "special chauffeur service" that features "premium brands, such as Audi and Porsche." What that looks like in reality is anyone's guess, although the idea of getting ferried around in an Audi RS 7 does have some appeal.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: A VW bug made out of timber
Six years ago a Beijing company proposed an insane lane-straddling bus that could soar over congested freeways. The project just took a step closer to reality, as the Transit Explore Bus is set to begin testing this summer. In other transportation news, Airbus just unveiled the world's first 3D-printed motorcycle, which has a range of 37 miles and a top speed of 50 mph. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies announced plans to build transit pods from Vibranium, which takes its name from the fictional metal used to create Captain America's indestructible shield. A Bosnian retiree handcrafted a gorgeous VW bug exterior from over 50,000 pieces of oak. Vanmoof launched the SmartBike -- a next-gen cycle that is virtually impossible to steal -- and Google partnered with Levi's to create a smart jacket for urban cyclists.
Volkswagen pours $300 million into Gett's ride hailing service
Ford and GM aren't the only big car companies getting cozy with the on-demand transportation industry. Volkswagen has made a $300 million investment in Gett, one of the bigger ridesharing outfits in the world (particularly in Europe). The two are working together to expand on-demand ride services. For VW, this is the "first milestone" toward becoming a top-tier mobility service provider by 2025. The firm doesn't expect this to be its only partnership, but it's an important one.
The cost of VW's emissions scandal hits $18.2 billion
A day after a reported deal between Volkswagen and regulators over its emissions scandal, the company offered an update on the cost of the ordeal. This week, reports surfaced that customers would have the option of compensation and repair or allowing VW to buy back any vehicles with the faulty emissions equipment. However, an official announcement on the terms hasn't been made just yet. The diesel emissions scandal in which car systems were rigged to cheat tests affected around 600,000 vehicles.
Don't bank on Volkswagen paying you $5,000 just yet
Well, this is awkward. Yesterday, German newspaper Die Welt claimed that every American with one of Volkswagen's dodgy diesels would receive $5,000 in compensation. Today, Reuters is offering up a contradictory report saying that the terms of the proposed settlement are substantially different. According to sources, VW's as-yet-confidential deal with regulators means it'll buy back 500,000 of the vehicles that cheated emissions tests. In addition, $1 billion is being set aside as an apology fund for affected owners who will need to buy a new ride. Simple division means that you'd be getting your money back on the car, plus an extra two grand as a mea culpa.
VW will reportedly pay you $5,000 to settle its emissions scandal
If you were burned by Volkswagen's emissions cheating and don't think that $1,000 in credits and gift cards will cut it, we have good news for you... maybe. Die Welt sources understand that VW has reached a settlement deal with US officials that will have it pay affected diesel car owners $5,000 each to make up for misleading the public on the eco-friendliness of its vehicles. That's on top of what VW will have to pay to fix the cars in question. Provided the automaker gets the deal approved on April 21st (the deadline a court gave to agree on a fix), it'll avoid a trial that could easily have proven more costly.
VW staff used code words to hide emissions cheating
Volkswagen's problems cooperating with emissions investigators aren't just a matter of navigating privacy laws... if you believe insiders, it's because the culprits did a good job of keeping things hush-hush. Bloomberg tipsters claim that VW staff used "dozens" of code words to hide emissions cheating activities, making it difficult for internal investigators to find evidence. They'd refer to the technology as "acoustic software," for example. Combine that with old, inadequate computers and it has supposedly been difficult to pin the illegal behavior on specific people.
FTC sues Volkswagen over false 'Clean Diesel' car ads
Volkswagen's US legal woes aren't stopping with the lawsuit from the Justice Department. The Federal Trade Commission has filed its own lawsuit against the car maker, accusing it of deceiving customers by running a "Clean Diesel" ad campaign between 2008 and 2015 while it was cheating on emissions tests. Simply put, it was touting its diesel cars as eco-friendly when they were anything but -- the FTC notes that they cranked out up to 4,000 percent more nitrogen oxides than the legal limit.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: VW's microbus concept, and more!
Volkswagen is still reeling from the Dieselgate emissions scandal, but it's trying to turn over a new leaf. So far the automaker has announced plans to launch 20 electric vehicles by the year 2020, and this week we learned that the BUDD-e electric microbus will be one of them. In other transportation news, a team of MIT students took top place in Elon Musk's Hyperloop design contest with plans for a streamlined pod that uses maglev technology. Uganda launched its first solar bus, and Google wants to bring 5G internet to off-grid areas with fleets of sun-powered drones.
ICYMI: The death-proof car, rat gambling addiction and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-359509{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-359509, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-359509{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-359509").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Volvo just pledged to build a 'deathproof' automobile by 2020 that will include adaptive cruise control and pedestrian detection. By 'deathproof,' it means unless you are crazy stupid (ie: Go flying off the Golden Gate Bridge in it), you won't be able to die in one of the company's cars.
The 7 best green cars from the 2016 Detroit Auto Show
By Marc Carter This week the world's biggest automakers gathered in snowy Detroit to kick off the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. Over 40 new models debuted at this year's event -- including some groundbreaking green vehicles. From the world's first electric minivan to next-gen hybrids and futuristic hydrogen cars, read on to learn about seven of this year's standouts.
VW's latest plug-in hybrid is built for off-roading
Most plug-in hybrid vehicles are better-suited to the streets than mud and rocks, but Volkswagen thinks it can make an exception. Its just-unveiled Tiguan GTE Active Concept mates a 148HP gas engine with two electric motors to provide an environmentally responsible off-roader. It can drive 20 miles solely on electric power, even in rough conditions, but has that conventional engine to provide extra grunt and range (580 miles total) for long expeditions.
VW wants to fix emissions cheating with catalytic converters
Volkswagen has already promised to recall US vehicles caught up in its emissions cheating scandal, but how is it actually going to fix most of them? We now have a good idea. Bild, the Financial Times and Reuters all hear that VW is proposing the installation of a catalytic converter (reportedly "made in part from new materials") on 430,000 of the 600,000-plus affected cars sold in the US. It's not certain whether or not the country's Environmental Protection Agency is onboard with the idea, but that may answered when VW chief Matthias Müller meets with the American regulator on January 13th.
VW isn't handing documents to US emissions investigators
Volkswagen may be willing to recall vehicles affected by its emissions cheating scandal, but that doesn't mean that it's being entirely cooperative with investigators. Attorney general offices in multiple American states report that VW is refusing to hand over documents covering executives' communications -- that would violate German privacy laws, the company says. Whether or not it would, the moves are making it difficult to determine how much higher-ups knew about dodgy car emissions before the facts became public. And this isn't the only instance where it wasn't forthcoming. In filing a lawsuit against VW, the Justice Deparment claimed that the car maker had "impeded and obstructed" investigations.
