VW News: As the Diesel Emits: EPA Could Make Volkswagen Build EVs in the U.S.

[William Maley]

A possible punishment that the EPA could bring down on Volkswagen is making them build electric vehicles in the U.S.

 

German newspaper Welt am Sonntag reports the EPA is asking the German automaker to produce EVs at their Chattanooga, TN plant and to help build out a network of chargers across the U.S. The report doesn't say if EPA is asking for VW to produce a new electric vehicle or a current one - the Golf EV. It should be noted that Welt am Sonntag's report doesn't cite a source.

 

"Talks with the EPA are ongoing and we are not commenting on the contents and state of the negotiations," said a Volkswagen spokesperson to Reuters.

 

The EPA declined to comment.

 

Reuters also notes Hans Dieter Poetsch, Volkswagen's chairman of Volkswagen's supervisory board German transport minister Alexander Dobrindt last week to give an update on cleaning up this mess. First reported by the German publication Bild am Sonntag, Poetsch said the company would do everything in its power to solve this crisis.

 

Source: Welt am Sonntag, Reuters, Bild am Sonntag

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[ccap41]

"...and to help build out a network of chargers across the U.S." That is what's needed for EVs to really take off. 

[G. David Felt]

This would be good as it could really push the US to move to a complete EV auto industry. Be interesting if they would be fast DC chargers, 220 or 110 chargers?

 

Looking forward to the EPA's plan for this.

[ocnblu]

A horrible plan that puts Volkswagen in further peril.  Everybody loves the TDi... nobody wants electrics.  Government should butt out.

[William Maley]

A horrible plan that puts Volkswagen in further peril.  Everybody loves the TDi... nobody wants electrics.  Government should butt out.

 

How does this plan put Volkswagen in further peril? Please, explain this to me.

Volkswagen is up to their necks in this scandal and anything to prevent from drowning would be a good thing.

[ocnblu]

Uh... because spending money on developing electrics is not a sound investment from a sales standpoint, especially as a replacement for the long-beloved TDi.  The U.S. government has no business getting involved in dictating automaker product plans... especially a foreign automaker.  This is unconscionable.

[William Maley]

Uh... because spending money on developing electrics is not a sound investment from a sales standpoint, especially as a replacement for the long-beloved TDi.  The U.S. government has no business getting involved in dictating automaker product plans... especially a foreign automaker.  This is unconscionable.

 

No one is saying that the TDI will be replaced by electrics. No one. It would be a piece of a puzzle of trying to build out other options aside from diesels. I will agree on the point the U.S. government shouldn't be involved with this.

Also, I think a lot of that beloved-ness of diesel has gone down somewhat.

[ocnblu]

I think the downvote was willy-nilly, especially since you agree with at least part of my comment. 

[oldshurst442]

All I could here are evil laughs with this scandal...

 

VW executives and engineers with this evil laugh, all laughing together when they decided upon this scam

 

And Elon Musk at the news of having a car maker forced in contributing to what his company has already invested millions if not billions in...making an EV infrastructure.

[regfootball]

its not right to mandate something else as a penalty for breaking a different law, the govt can't dictate to ONE automaker the propulsion system as a punishment.  

 

Although if that is VW's cheapest BROKERED solution, then we really have crossed a scary line.

[G. David Felt]

Uh... because spending money on developing electrics is not a sound investment from a sales standpoint, especially as a replacement for the long-beloved TDi.  The U.S. government has no business getting involved in dictating automaker product plans... especially a foreign automaker.  This is unconscionable.

Sorry blu but I have to totally disagree with you, VW has a niche market of people who love the weird TDi. If it really was the all end ultimate auto then they would be selling hundreds of thousands in the US alone. They are not, it is a small group and right now they are in the dog house due to a World Wide Cheating Scandal. 

 

I know you hate EV's, Everyone know you do but in this case, VW needs to suck up spending a few million to make the political BS Morons in DC happy and build an EV or two to get going again.

 

You can resist all you want but to quote the Borg, resistance is futile! The future is hybrid / EV. Enjoy your truck and find your peace with the fact that many will love the EVs and those like you will hate them. 

 

Over all I accept all as they all have a place, but I do know that the days are numbered for CNG and BioDiesel as well as traditional Diesel and Petrol cars as you know them.

[G. David Felt]

its not right to mandate something else as a penalty for breaking a different law, the govt can't dictate to ONE automaker the propulsion system as a punishment.  

 

Although if that is VW's cheapest BROKERED solution, then we really have crossed a scary line.

Gm was pushed with the VOLT, VW will be pushed with EV and infrastructure. Others need to watch as they could end up in the same camp of paying to help flip the change over to a greener solution.

 

I agree with you all that I also wish the gov would but out, but you do have strong groups pushing the gov to do this and California is leading the way no matter how Messed up that socialist cesspool of a state is.

[ocnblu]

These "groups" DO NOT SPEAK FOR THE PEOPLE.  It has been shown to be true again and again over the decades.  "Green targets" are never met because THE PEOPLE want something that WORKS! 

[ccap41]

its not right to mandate something else as a penalty for breaking a different law, the govt can't dictate to ONE automaker the propulsion system as a punishment.  

 

Although if that is VW's cheapest BROKERED solution, then we really have crossed a scary line.

The mandate would be to attempt to "repair" something that is un-repairable that they caused...pollution. 

 

I don't think it is a bad idea. For what they did, something that is un-repairable, un-fixable, money can't just be thrown at people to fix what they've done. One way to attempt to actually fix what they did would be to advance the EV field of zero emissions(the electric source is another issue because if it is burning coal for electricity then..well..that's another story all together). 

[ccap41]

These "groups" DO NOT SPEAK FOR THE PEOPLE.  It has been shown to be true again and again over the decades.  "Green targets" are never met because THE PEOPLE want something that WORKS! 

If EVs had a 300-400 miles of range and could fill up as easily as gasoline, what doesn't "work" about that? 

 

Yes, we are not there yet. But we can't get there without continued research and development of the technology. 

 

Gasoline cars used to not have much range or efficiency either until we needed it for high fuel prices. What happened? R&D and now we have small diesel TRUCKS getting 31mpg(rating) with " 21-gallon tanks mean a maximum range of 651 miles."-C/D. That wasn't happening 30 years ago. 

[G. David Felt]

Diesel passenger auto sales for January 2016 were only 225 as reported by automakers. This is in comparison to between 4800 to 9500 a month for the first 8 months of 2015.

 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/diesel-car-sales-slow-significantly-1455825746

 

Worse yet is a US Law Firm has filed suit against Mercedes-Benz for having their Diesel emissions system turn off their emissions clean up during cold weather. MB denies this but does seem to make it appear that Passenger Diesels are going to be looked at much more closely than in the past.

 

The story is also stating that low gas prices has dented the added cost of Diesel for many who are looking at buying a new auto.

 

Great editorial on why VW should just buy back all the auto's and how it would allow them to move forward faster and rebuild their image.

 

http://blogs.reuters.com/breakingviews/2016/02/23/vw-car-buyback-would-speed-emissions-scandal-exit/

 

Some very good reading on this. So the buy back would affect the 325,000 diesels that have NO emissions system and would be more expensive to fix than buy back and crush. This would still leave another 255,000 autos to either fix or to buy back that does have an emissions system.

[FAPTurbo]

Brilliant idea! Brokering a deal with VW reduces potential legal costs from hearings, civil cases and government inquiry, and the publicly accessible infrastructure will foster increased electric car adoption. That'd really bolster the USA's position as a leader in electrification. 

 

Having VW fork out a sum of cash to go towards rebates or reimbursements of electric purchases would also be a nice bonus. 

[regfootball]

beginning to think the gen 2 Cruze diesel will be stillborn, after seeing those diesel sales numbers.