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Estimating Damages From the VW Emissions Scandal (acs.org)

Posted by Soulskill on from the grim-accounting dept.

ckwu writes: Last year, the news broke that in the U.S. almost 600,000 Volkswagen diesel vehicles, model years 2009 to 2015, contain software that altered engine performance and lowered emissions of toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx) during emissions tests but not during normal driving. A new study calculates the societal impact of this extra NOx: 46 excess expected deaths and $430 million in excess damages. U.S. regulators have filed a federal lawsuit against the automaker alleging violations of the Clean Air Act.

1 of 109 comments (clear)

  1. You don't get it.. EPA is forcing me to comply by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Here's the reason why I want a full refund. I traded in my 4x4 because my commute to work increased from 30 miles/day to 105 miles /day. A TDI was a perfect match for it. Now keep in mind a new TDI requires more maintenance but the high efficiency more than compensates for it. I purchased my TDi new on 5/18/2015 completely loaded with a 400w Fender Stereo, RNS510 NAV/head unit, dual climate control, power sunroof, black VTEX interior, halon projector headlights. averaging 62mpg for long road trips (300 miles), 56mpg moderate road trips (120 miles) and 48 mpg for my commute to work during rush hour. awesome.
    I am not requesting a refund because I'm looking for a handout. I am because the fix will reduce efficiency and performance. I don't know if any of you test drove a new TDI, they perform well the way they are configured. The car is quick. Lots of torque. If the car didn't perform the way it did then I would not have bought it.
    Once the fix is available I will be forced to comply and get it done or the DMV will not allow the car on the road. So.. I want a refund.

    The German manufacture lied. I joined a group action lawsuit through the Pulanski Law firm. VW committed fraud. The dealership committed Negligent Misrepresentation of the vehicle. VW did not design the defeat device... Bosch wrote the code as a diagnostic feature and warned VW to not implement the feature.

    A LNT emissions system that has a DPF is rated for 120k miles. A LNT system basically incinerates soot that is collected in the LNT to ash. Ash is stored and eventually the LNT system needs to be replaced. If the LNT system is on more often than it is currently (DPF regen averages 1 in every 600 miles) then the DPS would need to be replaced more often. A DPF is not cheap and it's a pain in the ass to replace since the floor pan needs to be dropped!

    I think the government needs to stand in line. VW TDI owners are the ones that are screwed. We will be forced to comply with the recall once a fix is avaialble and the car will not be the same. This is one of the reasons why CARB and the EPA rejected the fix that was just submitted. The only way VW can recover is
    if the current vehicles on the road are grandfathered in. I do not think they will since a 2.0 TDI emits more NOx than a Semi Truck. High NOx is a product of a lean diesel burn. A catalytic converter large enough to reduce NOx would be much larger than what the space available to install it.
    Even the 2.0 TDI with addblue FAILS NOx emissions.

    I'm not a friggen do gooder. Basically I didn't want to pay $600/month for fuel to commute to work. I went from 18mpg to 48mpg
    I miss my Wragnler LOL and now I am working closer to home again. Hopefully I'll be able to free up the money I used to buy my TDI, get a refund and buy
    a new Rubicon.