EPA: VW intentionally violates clean-air laws

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that Volkswagen intentionally skirted clean air laws by using a piece of software that enabled about 500,000 of its diesel cars to emit fewer smog-causing pollutants during testing than in real-world driving conditions.

The agency ordered VW to fix the cars at its own expense. The German automaker also faces billions of dollars in fines, although exact amounts were not determined.

The cars, all built in the past seven years, include the VW Jetta, Beetle, Golf and Passat models, as well as the Audi A3. The vehicles all contain a device programmed to detect when they are undergoing official emissions testing, the EPA said. The cars turn on full emissions-control systems only during that testing. The controls are turned off during normal driving situations, the EPA said, allowing the cars to emit more than the legal limit of pollutants.

The EPA called the company’s use of the so-called “defeat device” illegal and a threat to public health.

VW, which also owns Audi, said in a statement it is cooperating with the investigation but declined further comment.

The EPA said VW faces fines of up to $37,500 per vehicle for the violations — a total of more than $18 billion.