F.B.I. Arrests Volkswagen Executive

[BenK]

About time corporate CEO's get held accountable for their management decisions and/or mandates !!!!!!


F.B.I. Arrests Volkswagen Executive on Conspiracy Charge in Emissions Scandal

NYTimes wrote:


The F.B.I. has arrested a Volkswagen executive in Florida, accusing him of playing a central role in a broad conspiracy to keep United States regulators from discovering that diesel vehicles made by the company were programmed to cheat on emissions tests.

The executive, Oliver Schmidt, a German who is the former top emissions compliance manager for Volkswagen in the United States, was arrested on Saturday by investigators in Florida on a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. He is expected to be arraigned on Monday.

The arrest of Mr. Schmidt is an escalation of the criminal investigation into emissions cheating by Volkswagen and comes amid talks between the company and the United States Justice Department about what penalties the carmaker should accept as part of a settlement.

After a study by West Virginia University first raised questions over Volkswagen’s diesel motors in early 2014, Mr. Schmidt played a central role in trying to convince regulators that excess emissions were caused by technical problems rather than by deliberate cheating, Ian Dinsmore, an F.B.I. agent, said in a sworn affidavit used as the basis for Mr. Schmidt’s arrest.

Mr. Schmidt deceived American regulators “by offering reasons for the discrepancy other than the fact that VW was intentionally cheating on U.S. emissions tests, in order to allow VW to continue to sell diesel vehicles in the United States,” the affidavit said.

Mr. Schmidt continued to represent Volkswagen after the company admitted in September that cars were programmed to dupe regulators. He appeared before a committee of the British Parliament in January, telling legislators that Volkswagen’s behavior was not illegal in Europe.



snip...

[brulaz]

Some here have wondered why Takata air bag execs have not been indited.

Well, according to the latest news, now three of them have been after a December grand jury indictment.

That plus the Fiat/Chrysler affair suggests that the outgoing government is wrapping up a lot of cases and cleaning out their desks.

[Bedlam]

Most of us are aware that electric vehicles only pencil out where wind, hydro, solar or thermal produces energy. Otherwise, the emissions are just relocated and the conversion of combustion to electric to motion is inefficient use of the source energy resource. Anyone that thinks a single powered method will take over is wrong - It will be a hybrid system where each technology is advantageous based on the environment and demands.

[John___Angela]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

John & Angela wrote:

Stefonius wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I didn't read what happens to the cars that are bought back? Are they crushed? If so, that's messed up.

VW is required to make it so that the engine cannot be reused. The car can be junked as-is provided that a certain number of holes of a certain size are drilled through the engine block. It is also acceptable to crush or shred the car.

A sad and unnecessary end to a great vehicle.

Sad yes, unnecessary, they could not be made to comply so that is the fault of the manufacturer. Clean air trumps everything and manufacturers need to know they can not deliberately deceive governments. This is not a Canadian thing or an American thing this is a world wide thing. A TDI puts out 40 times more pollution than what it was advertised to produce. That is simple false advertising. A TDI emits 600 times more emissions than a Prius. Just because you can't easily see it doesn't make it any less harmful to health.

Do you have credible links to those numbers? (not saying they aren't legit, but after the new conference the other day, I'm worried about fake news.) :B

Howdy. Credible links. Nope..I'm not even sure I would use the word reliable. Its on the internet so I think everyone has to read and assess for them selves. I am from a military back ground so the word credible takes on a different meaning in that world. Probably the only thing I can suggest is to google some of the comments I put out there, find the links and judge for yourself.

Here's my thing. As part of a bigger educational curriculum I spend a couple hours a day surfing the internet for articles that interest me in one of my hobbies, History, Language, Culture, RVing, Electric vehicles etc etc. I do this in four languages. As well I subscribe to various forums that help me exercise my writing skills in those languages. This and one EV forum are and example of that. The majority of what I read is not in English.

I can tell you this though, as far as automotive and energy technology, German is a great language for finding interesting articles. (and not just for VW info). All the big players in Europe are trying everything to get Tesla to build their next Gigafactory in their country. Free real estate, free factories etc. Many are hoping that the New President will give Elon Musk the cold shoulder and that he'll just move the whole operation to Europe. They are hoping that the next presidents Big Oil Cabinet will try and shut down the EV industry in the USA and Tesla will pull up Stakes and move to Europe. In their eyes if the US guts the EPA and gets rid of environmental regulation the USA will be a non player in the modern automotive industry within a decade. Meaning, the vehicles they design and build will really only be legal in the USA and Canada. (Canada builds to US specs for the most part) By 2030 (some by 2025) most european countries will have legislation in place that will only allow zero emission vehicles for personal use. I personally don't think they have hope in hell of this happening as TESLA is based in California and they will simply march to their own drum whatever the feds do.

Google "Next Tesla Giga Factory". Lots of interesting stuff.

[Wild_Card]

RPreeb wrote:

Wild Card wrote:

John & Angela wrote:

Stefonius wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I didn't read what happens to the cars that are bought back? Are they crushed? If so, that's messed up.

VW is required to make it so that the engine cannot be reused. The car can be junked as-is provided that a certain number of holes of a certain size are drilled through the engine block. It is also acceptable to crush or shred the car.

A sad and unnecessary end to a great vehicle.

Sad yes, unnecessary, they could not be made to comply so that is the fault of the manufacturer. Clean air trumps everything and manufacturers need to know they can not deliberately deceive governments. This is not a Canadian thing or an American thing this is a world wide thing. A TDI puts out 40 times more pollution than what it was advertised to produce. That is simple false advertising. A TDI emits 600 times more emissions than a Prius. Just because you can't easily see it doesn't make it any less harmful to health.

Uhh, No. This is a United States thing not a world thing. We are the only dumb @$$'s stupid enough to regulate ourselves right into the grave.

I'm sorry, but that's a fairly ignorant comment. Removing environmentally friendly policies would put us closer to the grave than adhering to them. All you have to do is look at the photos of Beijing to see what it would be like if we just ignored vehicle and industrial emissions. The improvement in the air quality of most US cities in the last 30 years can be directly linked what you consider "stupid".

By that I don't mean that everyone needs to drive a Prius (I wouldn't own one myself), but a relatively clean environment is essential to our health and quality of life. If it takes government regulation to achieve that, then such regulation is a necessity. It's been proven time and time again that companies won't take ownership of such precautions on their own.

What I meant is over regulation. We have to run our urine through a reverse osmosis plant before it hits the toilet. It's a bit out a hand don't ya think? And I do agree with common sense regulation. I also do not trust the EPA as its a government run operation.

[wilber1]

The issue is NOX emissions, not total emissions. NOX emissions can be up to 40 times greater than allowed depending on load and driving style.

[RPreeb]

drsteve wrote:

R Preeb wrote:
Uhh, No. This is a United States thing not a world thing. We are the only dumb @$$'s stupid enough to regulate ourselves right into the grave.

Much of the advanced world has even stricter standards. I'm confused, though, as to how clean air will kill us?

You lost something when you edited that quote. I did not say what you quoted, I was responding to it.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

John & Angela wrote:

Stefonius wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I didn't read what happens to the cars that are bought back? Are they crushed? If so, that's messed up.

VW is required to make it so that the engine cannot be reused. The car can be junked as-is provided that a certain number of holes of a certain size are drilled through the engine block. It is also acceptable to crush or shred the car.

A sad and unnecessary end to a great vehicle.

Sad yes, unnecessary, they could not be made to comply so that is the fault of the manufacturer. Clean air trumps everything and manufacturers need to know they can not deliberately deceive governments. This is not a Canadian thing or an American thing this is a world wide thing. A TDI puts out 40 times more pollution than what it was advertised to produce. That is simple false advertising. A TDI emits 600 times more emissions than a Prius. Just because you can't easily see it doesn't make it any less harmful to health.

Do you have credible links to those numbers? (not saying they aren't legit, but after the new conference the other day, I'm worried about fake news.) :B

[mich800]

drsteve wrote:

I am curious about the new diesel flashes some are doing for MPG could have defeat code in them to meet EPA tests.

It has been unlawful to tamper with or defeat the emissions system of a motor vehicle since the passing of the Clean Air Act. This is probably going to bring more attention to these aftermarket companies.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/epas-real-target-the-automotive-aftermarket/

I am not talking about the "offroad" tunes. But the ones that claim to meet EPA standards but also have increased MPG claims. I believe some on this forum have tried or are using such tunes. Do they have a secret defeat program similar to VW to attain such claims?

[drsteve]

R Preeb wrote:
Uhh, No. This is a United States thing not a world thing. We are the only dumb @$$'s stupid enough to regulate ourselves right into the grave.

Much of the advanced world has even stricter standards. I'm confused, though, as to how clean air will kill us?

[sky_free]

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:

sky_free wrote:

Bedlam wrote:
I don't believe the current owners have a choice. They will not be able to renew registration due to non-compliance to US standards.

Actually, they will be able to register it according to the settlement terms. VW is paying a large fine to "pay for" their over-emissions for the approx. 15% of people who choose to keep the cars. If they don't reach the 85% mark, they have to pay more depending on whatever the percentage is.

They are bribing us to turn in our cars so they don't have to pay more fines. The payout is so good that even though it is the best car I've ever owned it would be stupid to not sell it back. With 112K on it, the market value would be much less than half of the $ I will get by turning it in.

Not completely true, only the 2.0 can renew the vehicle registration.
"What vehicles are covered under the consent decree?
The consent decree covers all 2.0L diesel vehicles manufactured by Volkswagen and Audi between 2009 and 2015. These include:

VW Jetta Sport Wagen (MY 2009 - 2014)
Audi A3 (MY 2010 - 2013, 2015)
VW Beetle (MY 2013 - 2015)
VW Golf (MY 2010 - 2015)
VW Jetta (MY 2009 - 2015)
VW Passat (MY 2012 - 2015)
VVW Golf Sport Wagen (MY 2015)
The consent decree does not cover 3.0L diesel vehicles manufactured by Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche that the governments allege are also equipped with defeat devices. These vehicles will be addressed later." note this is for California not sure how this affects other states. Note this is from Dec.16, 2016 LINK

For those who say it's a great vehicle and makes great mileage....well no kidding they turned off the emissions so it could make that mileage. I owned a tdi Jetta and loved it. Was it flawless? No, no it wasn't. Was it a great car? Yes, yes it was and if I was not working for FCA I would own another tdi in a minute!

Don

I believe Bedlam was referring to the post above for a 2012 Passat 2.0. I should have been more clear. Nobody expects the 3.0 settlement to be any different though.

From the CARB site, 100% of the cars need to be bought back OR MODIFIED, so it stands to reason that you will need to get the mod if you keep the car and intend to register it, but the site isn't clear on that.

[gkainz]

John & Angela wrote:

Stefonius wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I didn't read what happens to the cars that are bought back? Are they crushed? If so, that's messed up.

VW is required to make it so that the engine cannot be reused. The car can be junked as-is provided that a certain number of holes of a certain size are drilled through the engine block. It is also acceptable to crush or shred the car.

A sad and unnecessary end to a great vehicle.

(snip) A TDI puts out 40 times more pollution than what it was advertised to produce. That is simple false advertising. A TDI emits 600 times more emissions than a Prius. Just because you can't easily see it doesn't make it any less harmful to health.

I assume your comparison of the TDI vs Prius does not take into account the emissions produced to generate the electricity to power said Prius. Nor does it take into account the enormous waste when those battery packs go bad. Sorry - too many smug Prius drivers around here (my geographic area) who brag up their "clean cars that don't burn fuel" and shame the oil burners ... so a personal sensitive spot that you probably didn't mean to push. 🙂

[RPreeb]

Wild Card wrote:

John & Angela wrote:

Stefonius wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I didn't read what happens to the cars that are bought back? Are they crushed? If so, that's messed up.

VW is required to make it so that the engine cannot be reused. The car can be junked as-is provided that a certain number of holes of a certain size are drilled through the engine block. It is also acceptable to crush or shred the car.

A sad and unnecessary end to a great vehicle.

Sad yes, unnecessary, they could not be made to comply so that is the fault of the manufacturer. Clean air trumps everything and manufacturers need to know they can not deliberately deceive governments. This is not a Canadian thing or an American thing this is a world wide thing. A TDI puts out 40 times more pollution than what it was advertised to produce. That is simple false advertising. A TDI emits 600 times more emissions than a Prius. Just because you can't easily see it doesn't make it any less harmful to health.

Uhh, No. This is a United States thing not a world thing. We are the only dumb @$$'s stupid enough to regulate ourselves right into the grave.

I'm sorry, but that's a fairly ignorant comment. Removing environmentally friendly policies would put us closer to the grave than adhering to them. All you have to do is look at the photos of Beijing to see what it would be like if we just ignored vehicle and industrial emissions. The improvement in the air quality of most US cities in the last 30 years can be directly linked what you consider "stupid".

By that I don't mean that everyone needs to drive a Prius (I wouldn't own one myself), but a relatively clean environment is essential to our health and quality of life. If it takes government regulation to achieve that, then such regulation is a necessity. It's been proven time and time again that companies won't take ownership of such precautions on their own.

[drsteve]

I am curious about the new diesel flashes some are doing for MPG could have defeat code in them to meet EPA tests.

It has been unlawful to tamper with or defeat the emissions system of a motor vehicle since the passing of the Clean Air Act. This is probably going to bring more attention to these aftermarket companies.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/epas-real-target-the-automotive-aftermarket/

[Wild_Card]

John & Angela wrote:

Stefonius wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I didn't read what happens to the cars that are bought back? Are they crushed? If so, that's messed up.

VW is required to make it so that the engine cannot be reused. The car can be junked as-is provided that a certain number of holes of a certain size are drilled through the engine block. It is also acceptable to crush or shred the car.

A sad and unnecessary end to a great vehicle.

Sad yes, unnecessary, they could not be made to comply so that is the fault of the manufacturer. Clean air trumps everything and manufacturers need to know they can not deliberately deceive governments. This is not a Canadian thing or an American thing this is a world wide thing. A TDI puts out 40 times more pollution than what it was advertised to produce. That is simple false advertising. A TDI emits 600 times more emissions than a Prius. Just because you can't easily see it doesn't make it any less harmful to health.

Uhh, No. This is a United States thing not a world thing. We are the only dumb @$$'s stupid enough to regulate ourselves right into the grave.