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Defying Trump, major automakers finalize California emissions deal

WASHINGTON — The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and major automakers on Monday confirmed they had finalized binding agreements to cut vehicle emissions in the state, defying the Trump administration's push for weaker curbs on tailpipe pollution. The agreements with carmakers Ford Motor Co, Volkswagen AG, Honda Motor Co and BMW AG were first announced in July 2019 as voluntary measures prompting anger from U.S. President Donald Trump. A month later, the Justice Department opened an antitrust probe into the agreements. The government ended the investigation without action. The Trump administration in March finalized a rollback of U.S. vehicle emissions standards to require 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026. That is far weaker than the 5% annual increases in the discarded rules adopted under President Barack Obama. The 50-page California agreements, which extend through 2026, are less onerous than the standards finalized by the Obama administration but tougher than the Trump administration standards. The automakers have also agreed to electric vehicle commitments. Volvo Cars, owned by China's Geely Holdings, said in March it planned to join the automakers agreeing to the California requirements. It has also finalized its agreement. The settlement agreements say California and automakers agreed to resolve "potential legal disputes concerning the authority of CARB" and other states that have adopted California's standards. In May, a group of 23 U.S. states led by California and some major cities, challenged the Trump vehicle emissions rule. Other major automakers like General Motors Co, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and Toyota Motor Corp did not join the California agreement. Those companies also sided with the Trump administration in a separate lawsuit over whether the federal government can strip California of the right to set zero emission vehicle requirements. Ford said the "final agreement will reduce emissions in our vehicles at a more stringent rate, support and incentivize the production of electrified products, and create regulatory certainty." BMW said "by setting these long-term, predictable, and achievable standards, we have the regulatory certainty that is necessary for long-term planning that will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions but ultimately benefit consumers as well." 

Canada expands cooperation with EPA over VW scandal

It doesn't take much more than a stiff breeze to send some US pollution northward across the 49th parallel. Perhaps that's why the Canadian government says it is standing strong with the US in its continuing investigation of Volkswagen and the allegations and self-reporting that the automaker installed software to try to game emissions regulations. In fact, the Canadian government is going to do its own slate of on-road testing to see how VW diesel engines perform in real-world conditions. Last year, about 1.8 million new light-duty vehicles were sold in Canada, which is about equal to how many were sold in Maryland. That compares to about 17 million new-vehicle sales for the US. But every bit counts when it comes to an increase in potentially harmful emissions, and the Canadian government says it wants to make sure VW's diesel engines are being properly monitored, whether they're sold in Detroit, MI, or across the river in Windsor, Ontario. And that means following up – together – on allegations that Europe's biggest automaker is using so-called "defeat devices" in what it has long called its "clean diesel" engines. The automotive industry continues to be roiled by the VW scandal, in which the automaker said that as many as 11 million of its vehicles may contain software programmed to manipulate emissions-testing procedures. Volkswagen has set aside $7.3 billion to deal with the scandal, while VW CEO Martin Winterkorn was forced to step down after the issue became public. Take a look at Environment Canada's press release below. Statement - Government of Canada expands its on-going collaborative work with the U.S. EPA to assess other diesel vehicles for defeat devices OTTAWA, Sept. 26, 2015 /CNW/ - On September 22, 2015, the Government of Canada opened an investigation into Volkswagen's alleged use of defeat devices to circumvent emissions regulations. Environment Canada issued the following update on the issue: "The Government of Canada has a long history of collaborating closely with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to align emission standards, as well as to provide oversight and verify compliance with applicable emission regulations "Today, the Government of Canada is announcing that it has expanded its ongoing collaborative work with the U.S. EPA to assess other diesel vehicles for defeat devices and compliance issues. "Vehicles will be subject to a variety of tests including on-road testing using portable emission measurement systems.

Volkswagen Group looks to add ridesharing brand to portfolio

Volkswagen is rapidly trying to put the ongoing diesel scandal behind it at the Paris Motor Show with the unveiling of the automaker's electric I.D. Concept. In addition to unveiling the EV, the automaker also announced that it established a yet-to-be-named subsidiary for ridesharing purposes. The new brand will be VW Group's 13th, and will add mobility services to in the form of a carpooling service, similar to that of Uber and Lyft. This will include teaming up with Gett – a cab-hailing startup that operates in roughly 70 cities worldwide, which includes New York City, that was previously known as GetTaxi. Earlier this year, VW invested $300 million in the company. In addition to ridesharing, VW Group claims it is also hard at work on its own shuttle service as the brand aims to become a leader in urban mobility services by 2025. The name of the 13th brand and more information on the subsidiary will be released in November. VW Group also announced plans to give Gett drivers in Moscow, Russia "preferential terms" on a Volkswagen Polo, Volkswagen Jetta, Skoda Octavia, or Skoda Rapid. VW Group's 13th brand sounds similar to Mercedes-Benz's Vision Van Concept, which the automaker would allow consumers to lease and purchase the vehicle, as well as rent its services on a short-term basis. While the Vision Van Concept is a commercial vehicle that has delivery drones on the roof to aid deliveries, VW Group's shuttle service sounds more like autonomous buses to ferry people around. Now that diesels are dead, Volkswagen has quickly embraced the future, where autonomous and electric vehicles coexist. Related Video: Related Gallery Volkswagen I.D. Concept: Paris 2016 View 16 Photos News Source: Volkswagen Green Paris Motor Show Volkswagen Skoda Autonomous Vehicles Electric vw diesel scandal ridesharing 2016 paris motor show gett