EPA questions Fiat Chrysler鈥檚 diesels: A repeat of the VW scandal?
The Environmental Protection Agency has accused Fiat Chrysler of not disclosing software that allowed some of their US diesel vehicles to emit more pollution than is permitted under the Clean Air Act. On Thursday, the EPA announced that it had issued a Fiat Chrysler a 鈥渘otice of violation鈥澛爐hat applies to about 104,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Ram pickup trucks from the 2014 through 2016 model years.
Pieces of software known as 鈥渄efeat devices鈥� can detect when vehicles are being tested for emissions in a lab, switching the engines to a low-emissions setting that is not used on the road. German automaker Volkswagen聽used devices like these to cheat emissions tests on approximately 580,000 vehicles sold in the United States. On Wednesday, the US Department of Justice ordered Volkswagen to pay fines totaling $4.3 billion, and filed criminal charges against six of the company鈥檚 executives.
As the VW scandal unfolded last March, GreenCarReports鈥檚 John Voelcker wrote, 鈥淒enials by executives that the company did anything wrong or illegal 鈥撀燼fter its own engineers had admitted to the EPA that VW deliberately lied and deceived regulators and the public for eight years 鈥撀爃aven't helped鈥� to restore the company鈥檚 image.聽
Volkswagen鈥檚 problems began in 2006, when an engineering team began developing a diesel engine to meet tough new US emissions tests, which led to the creation of a 鈥渄efeat device.鈥澛營n 2014, researchers found discrepancies between lab emissions and road emissions for VW diesel cars.
On Wednesday, prosecutors charged six VW executives with conspiring to hide these findings. 鈥淰olkswagen鈥檚 attempts to dodge emissions standards and import falsely certified vehicles into the country represent an egregious violation of our nation鈥檚 environmental, consumer protection and financial laws,鈥澛燯S Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement.
Fiat Chrysler鈥檚 executives have denied any attempt to mislead regulators. Instead, they point out that the company shared information about its admissions technology with the EPA, and proposed changes in response to the agency鈥檚 concerns. 聽鈥淭here was never any intent of creating conditions that were designed to defeat the testing process,鈥� Fiat Chrysler chief executive Sergio Marchionne said, according to Reuters.
When the EPA first raised concerns about emissions, the Italian-controlled multinational car company recalled vehicles with one particular piece of emissions-related software. The EPA says it has found at least eight software pieces that could control a vehicle鈥檚 emissions.
The EPA is investigating whether these emissions control devices could constitute illegal 鈥渄efeat devices.鈥澛營f that were proven, Fiat Chrysler could聽face fines of $44,539 per vehicle.
This report includes content from Reuters and the Associated Press.
