By Derek Mikus/Gator Galaxy Staff
Volkswagen got themselves into some trouble recently. They confessed that up to 11 million vehicles around the world emit almost 40 times more nitrous oxide than the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard.
The part of the story that gets interesting is that Volkswagen knew their cars were violating the emission standards and they were purposely cheating on emissions tests. Engineers working for Volkswagen developed software that allowed the cars to be put on a “safety mode” when they were being tested. It put them below normal power and performance levels. Then, when they were on the road, the device was switched off. This resulted in the cars producing up to 40 times the nitrogen oxide level allowed in the United States.
Volkswagen responded simply by saying they screwed up. Former CEO Martin Winterkorn said his company had “broken the trust of our customers and the public.” Winterkorn stepped down from his position after the scandal broke.
The car company has set aside $7 billion to fix the 500,000 cars in the U.S. that need to be fixed, but the financial issues don’t stop there. The government has the power to fine the company $38,000 for each car sold, which would be a maximum fine of $18 billion.
North Star chemistry teacher Suzie Wilson said, “I don’t think I could ever buy one [Volkswagen] because who knows what else they have wrong with their cars.”
Volkswagen stocks have also dropped in the last few months.
