VW Diesel Settlement Gains Final Approval From Regulators
Federal and California environmental regulators have given final approval to Volkswagen's plan to fix or buy back about half of the diesel cars involved in its emissions scandal, which includes an additional $153 million payment to that state.

Photo courtesy of VW.

Photo courtesy of VW.
Federal and California environmental regulators have given final approval to Volkswagen's plan to fix or buy back about half of the diesel cars involved in its emissions scandal, which includes an additional $153 million payment to that state.
Volkswagen announced the approval, according to an Associated Press report, and CARB announced plans to disperse settlement funds.
The additional payment goes with the $533 million already paid to California. Of the total, $422 million will go into a national mitigation trust that will be used to enhance zero emission vehicles in California.
Eventually, Volkswagen will invest more than $800 million over 10 years for ZEV infrastructure, public outreach, and access to these vehicles for disadvantaged communities, according to a July 27 statement from the California Air Resource Board.
CARB has approved the first $200 million of a four-phase rollout that will be used to build a basic charging network around the state, launch public outreach in multiple languages, and begin ZEV access projects such as the first Green City project. The four 30-month investment plans will be approved by CARB through a public process.
Electrify America has chosen Sacramento as the first of two such projects where it will provide ZEV initiatives for residents. This will include charging stations and access to ZEVs for car sharing and other ride-and-drive opportunities. The second city will be chosen in a later phase.
As part of the first phase, CARB will fund charging networks and a high-speed statewide charging network in six metropolitan areas, including Fresno, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, and Sacramento.
The vehicle charging stations will be built at community locations, multi-family dwellings, commercial and retail locations, workplaces and municipal parking lots and garages.
The regulators approved the plan for Volkswagen clean diesel cars with 2.0-liter TDI engines, including the Passat, Jetta, Golf, Beetle, and Audi A3.
More Operations
The Top 300 Commercial Fleets
The Top 300 Commercial Fleets: See the List
Read More →
Your Local Dealer Knows More Than You Think
Your local dealer can provide an information advantage that extends well beyond courtesy deliveries.
Read More →
Fleet Meets: Austin Schutte
Here are some industry insights, personal touches, and words of advice from the CEO and Founder of Anew Solutions.
Read More →Soap Box Derby Challenge: What’s Powering Team Brown
The car is coming together, the students are solving real build problems, and the fleet industry is helping push Team Brown toward the starting line.
Read More →
Commercial Fleet Sales Contribute To June, YTD Gains
The fleet sector has boosted its vehicle purchases at a reliable pace in the first half of this year compared with 1H 2025.
Read More →What Fleet Managers Really Want From Vendors
From customer service frustrations and technology breakdowns to RFQs, change management, and the growing impact of turnover across the industry, this conversation pulls back the curtain on the real operational challenges fleet managers are navigating every day.
Read More →Fleet Safety Masterclass: Industry Leaders on Storytelling, Strategy & Innovation
In this special masterclass episode, industry leaders break down what it really takes to build safer fleets in today’s increasingly distracted and data-driven world.
Read More →Integrating Legacy Fleet Systems and Historical Data
In this episode, we bring together fleet and technology leaders to unpack the realities of data integration, system migrations, and the evolving role of AI in fleet management.
Read More →From Resistance to Results: Change Management Strategies for Fleets
From new technologies and safety programs to evolving regulations, fleets are under constant pressure to adapt. But as Dr. Betz explains, success isn’t about the system you implement—it’s about whether your people actually use it.
Read More →


