Here’s a bit of good news on the air pollution front: Volkswagen diesel car owners in Germany will lose their vehicle registrations if they refuse to receive engine software updates to bring their cars in line with emissions standards, going by documents from the country’s motor vehicle watchdog KBA (as reported by Focus Online).
So, despite the corruption that seems to be endemic to the German auto industry (and the auto industry in general) and the authorities that watch over it (as we relayed yet again a few days ago), something is apparently being done to reduce diesel car pollution in Germany.
Unsurprisingly, there are quite a number of people in Germany who have been refusing to accept the engine software updates that would bring their diesel cars in line with regional emissions standards — as the software results in slightly reduced performance and fuel economy.
Reuters provides more: “Nearly two years later*, almost 5.5 million of the 8.5 million affected models in Europe have been retrofitted, including 1.8 million cars in VW’s German home market.
“But many drivers do not want their cars to be retrofitted with new software, fearing any changes to make the vehicles comply with emissions standards would result in them being slower and consuming more fuel.
“Focus Online reported that depending on when recall notices were issued, some VW drivers could have their cars de-registered as early as next month and would also have to pay any resulting fees.”
As one would guess, a spokesperson for Volkswagen declined to comment on the matter when queried.
Here’s to hoping that the reports are accurate, and that those who aren’t willing to bring their cars in line with relevant emissions standards lose their registrations.
*Nearly 2 years after the scandal broke, that is.
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