Engine maker Cummins is recalling 600,000 Ram trucks as part of a huge US$2 billion settlement with federal and California authorities for using illegal software to cheat results of diesel emissions tests.
Source: Electrek: Read The Article
The settlement was reached in December 2023, but new details emerged recently noting that Cummins had agreed to pay $1.675 billion in civil penalties – the largest ever to be paid under the Clean Air Act – in addition to $325 million to remedy environmental damage, the AP reports. The total bill is more than $2 billion, in what federal and California authorities called a landmark settlement.
PSR Analysis: This problem is far more complicated than a simple “Cummins bad and EPA good” scenario. Diesel engines emit more NOX when they’re operating at their peak efficiency. Yes, we should be reducing pollution, but it’s not an easy one size fits all answer. And California is making sure this efficiency takes place as it will not allow the truck to renew their registration without proof that the recall was completed. PSR
Guy Youngs, is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research
