German car maker Volkswagen, caught cheating on emissions tests in 2015 in the “Dieselgate” scandal, is rolling out plans to spend almost $15 billion in penalties and settlements. Some of the money goes back to customers, but about half will be used for infrastructure and pollution mitigation. Ben Paulos takes a look. Caught by regulators and researchers, Volkswagen confessed that it had secretly and deliberately installed a “defeat device,” software designed to fool emission testers, in nearly 583,000 VW and Audi-branded diesel vehicles sold in America between 2009 and 2015.  The ruse resulted in an estimated 44,000 tons of extra nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, a potent contributor to smog and lung disease. VW and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreed to a series of three settlements to resolve the charges, with VW committing to major payments. The largest chunk of money will go directly to customers who bought or leased the vehicles.  VW is offering a buyback and lease termination to those customers, at a cost of over $10 billion. The rest of the funds, … Continue reading How will Volkswagen’s Dieselgate settlement be spent?