Engine manufacturer Cummins will pay a $1.67 billion fine for emissions cheating with diesel engines in Ram pickup trucks.
The fine settles a case brought by the U.S. Justice Department and the State of California claiming Cummins violated the Clean Air Act by installing so-called defeat devices that allowed its diesel engines to cheat emissions tests. It's the largest civil penalty ever secured under the Clean Air Act and the second-largest environmental penalty ever, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. Mobile Generator Trailer
The defeat devices were allegedly installed on 630,000 engines in 2013 to 2019 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups, according to a Justice Department press release. The settlement also covers "undisclosed auxiliary emission control devices" allegedly installed on 330,000 engines in Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks from model years 2019 to 2023.
"The types of devices we allege that Cummins installed in its engines to cheat federal environmental laws have a significant and harmful impact on people’s health and safety," Garland said, adding that these engines emit "thousands of tons of excess emissions of nitrogen oxides."
These are the same emissions at the root of the Volkswagen diesel scandal, in which VW was also accused of using defeat devices to allow diesel vehicles to pass emissions tests while in reality releasing excess pollutants that produced serious health effects. A 2017 MIT study estimated that the excess emissions produced by VW diesels caused 1,200 premature deaths.
In the wake of the revelation of VW's emissions cheating, a lawsuit was filed alleging illegally-high emissions in older Dodge Ram pickups with Cummins engines. These were from model years 2007 to 2012, before Ram was split off into a separate brand. Cummins later issued a recall, while Ram 1500 pickups with a different diesel engine were also recalled around that time.
In recent years Cummins has attempted some technology pivots—including potentially to hydrogen fuel-cell tech. It showed a fuel-cell semi truck prototype in 2019, and a battery-electric demonstrator prior to that.
Regulators don't just have to worry about manufacturers violating emissions rules. Illegal emissions tampering on diesel pickups by owners is a big business that the EPA has also been cracking down on. It's slapped a number of different aftermarket companies with fines, including a $1 million fine for diesel performance parts manufacturer Sinister Diesel announced in August. That company and others have sold parts advertised as improving performance, but that also disable emissions controls.
Sign up to get the latest green car and environmental news, delivered to your inbox daily!
I agree to receive emails from Green Car Reports. I understand that I can unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy.
Ford is hiking prices on the base versions of the 2024 F-150 Lightning while cutting the sticker price of top-trim Platinum versions.
GM mustered roughly a third of its earlier target for North American EV production through 2022 and 2023. Will 2024 be any better?
Is vegan leather actually the sustainable choice for EV drivers and those seeking the smallest footprint? Leather suppliers argue it's not.
As the year came to a close, China's BYD accelerated to a pace that threatens Tesla's global EV sales leadership in 2024.
The three-row electric crossover reaches out to families in a way no EV has yet.
The EPA has released the list of models that make the cut in 2024, and at present it's brief.
As the energy charging EVs becomes cleaner, American driving gasoline models will spend less on fuel in 2024.
EV pricing, over-the-air software updates, and the EV tax credit were hot topics, and while 2023 marked the end of supply-chain issues it also brought the biggest automotive labor strike in a generation.
What do you need to ask the dealership if buying an EV after the new year? Why might the top-selling EV in Japan make a lot of sense in U.S. big cities too? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending December 29, 2023. Have you...
Vinfast shifts to dealership sales. Mercedes-Benz tweaks its EV lineups for more range—real-world especially. And want an exciting EV under $40,000? This and more, here at Green Car Reports. Have you waited out the market roller-coasters of the past couple years? We rounded up all the...
Cummins Container High Voltage Generator Prepare for the imminent arrival of the affordable electric car under $40,000. Allegedly.