Volkswagen has struggled to find a fix for its diesel cars, and California has already rejected the automaker previous solution. Now, the state’s clean air agency says a complete fix for the diesel cars may not happen.
“Our goal has been to fix the vehicles and return them to their certified configuration as expeditiously as possible,” Todd Sax, chief of the California Air Resources Board enforcement division, told Reuters. “Unfortunately, this may not be possible.”
Because there may never be a way for these cars to comply with emissions standards, California may allow partially repaired VW diesels to continue operating on its roads. “One of the options potentially would be to accept something less than a full fix,” Sax concluded.
If so, VW could benefit. Originally, the automaker considered buying bad diesel cars with cheat devices, no doubt an expensive plan. However, if California does allow a partial fix, Volkswagen would still have to pay costs related to allowing the higher-emissions vehicles to remain on the road.
State Senator Jim Beall, meanwhile, says the idea raises a number of “moral dilemmas.” He points out that a partial fix may not be fair to consumers who’ve seen the value of there VW diesel car drop.
Growing increasingly impatient with Volkswagen, the federal government gave the automaker a deadline of March 24 to present a solution to the diesel problem. However, VW has hinted it is still months away from finding a fix.
Source: Motor Trend