Company fined nearly $2 billion over illegal modifications on pickup trucks: 'They inflict real harm on people'
www.thecooldown.com
The U.S. Justice Department has accused truck engine manufacturer Cummins of sneaking software onto trucks that bypass emissions controls.
  • ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.org
    74·
    9 months ago

    Corporations have no shame. From the article:

    Cummins says it will continue collaborating with investigators to lower the environmental red flag.

    If your neighbor got caught stealing mail, then solemnly declared he’d continue working with the police to reduce theft in the neighborhood, you’d punch him across the face.

    • ArumiOrnaught@kbin.social
      1·
      9 months ago

      I do agree. Unfortunately most manufacturers of diesel engines aren’t stoked about environmental regulations and plenty have stopped trying all together.

      Currently their plan is to just throw more urea at the exhaust.

      I remember them having to bypass the DEF system on a lot of vehicles because they didn’t make enough spare parts of the system they put in. So I’m sure they knew either face public backlash or get fined by the government. It was probably a calculation where the 2b was on the cheaper side from them. I’m sure they made enough money that they don’t feel the need to fight it.

      Once again, not an endorsement. I’m sure every diesel engine manufacturer is/will/was doing the same thing.

      • Concetta@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        1·
        9 months ago

        Seems like the plan right now is similar to Amazon and SpaceXs bet with the NLRB: throw up roadblocks, don’t cooperate, bet on Trump. It’s truly sad to watch.

  • Empricorn@feddit.nlEnglish
    36·
    9 months ago

    Whoa, a 10-figure fine *for a giant corporation!? About time they made that shit hurt!

      • Artyom@lemm.ee
        121·
        9 months ago

        VW probably had way more cars involved though, so the cost per car was lower.

        • Desmond373@slrpnk.net
          161·
          9 months ago

          I wouldnt underestimate how many cummins engines there are, lots of trucks, tractors and other large machines use them, some of which run constantly. If anything i would say they got off lighter than VW

        • kautau@lemmy.world
          71·
          9 months ago

          VW also has a revenue that’s almost 10x as much as Cummins. It’s a “cost of doing business” write off for both of them, but a more expensive one for Cummins comparatively

        • OhmsLawn@lemmy.world
          4·
          9 months ago

          And VW cratered due to consumer backlash. For Cummins, this is a marketing opportunity.

      • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        9 months ago

        That was just one of the many cases. In total, dieselgate cost VW $38 billion. On top of that, a lot of their executives ended up in prison.

        Unfortunately, every other automaker (well, except Tesla for fairly obvious reasons) did the same thing, some worse than VW, and barely got any punishment.

    • NateNate60@lemmy.world
      191·
      9 months ago

      From reading the article, it was approximately 1 million vehicles in violation, all pickup trucks. That works out to $1,600 per vehicle.

      Don’t take this the wrong way—the fine is large, but $1,600 on vehicles that sell for fifty times that still seems… thin.

      • mikezane@lemmy.world
        5·
        9 months ago

        This is Cummings, they make the engines, not the truck. I have no clue what they charge car companies for their engines but I know it is a lot closer to $1,600 than the cost of the completed truck.

        • Clusterfck@lemmy.sdf.org
          6·
          9 months ago

          You can buy a Cummins crate engine for $10,000. Assuming that’s a large markup compared to the negotiated amount I’m sure the vehicle manufacturers got, I would bet they’re being fined around 20 percent of what they made off of selling the engines to manufacturers.

          Probably not enough to kill the company, but definitely enough to make them think twice on doing it again (almost like what fines should be….).

  • jballs@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    20·
    9 months ago

    Here’s some more info from the Justice Department release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/statement-attorney-general-merrick-garland-agreement-principle-cummins-settle-alleged

    The company allegedly installed defeat devices on 630,000 model year 2013 to 2019 RAM 2500 and 3500 pickup truck engines. The company also allegedly installed undisclosed auxiliary emission control devices on 330,000 model year 2019 to 2023 RAM 2500 and 3500 pickup truck engines.

    Which makes this quote in OP’s article even more infuriating:

    “The company has seen no evidence that anyone acted in bad faith and does not admit wrongdoing,” Cummins External Communications Director Jon Mills told Forbes.

    Installing a cheat device is the definition of acting in bad faith!!!

    • Illecors@lemmy.cafeEnglish
      5·
      9 months ago

      I’m genuinely curious how they’re pulling this off. Is it called something entirely innocent internally? Like “emissions controller” or something?