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vw-zevinvest -- Volkswagen’s ZEV Investment Plan is now available

Posted: 14 Mar 2017 13:26:18
The Air Resources Board (ARB) has received Volkswagen’s (VW)
first 30 month Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Investment Plan
(Plan). This Plan is required by California’s partial settlement
with VW resulting from VW’s use of illegal defeat devices in its
2.0 liter (2.0L) diesel cars sold in the State from model years
2009 to 2015.  The Plan describes how VW is proposing to spend
the first $200 million in California on ZEV fueling
infrastructure (including the development and maintenance of ZEV
charging stations), public awareness, increasing ZEV access, and
a green city demonstration.  ARB may approve, partially approve
or disapprove the Plan.  ARB is initiating its review of the Plan
and invites you to provide comment on whether the Plan meets the
terms and goals of the 2.0-liter Consent Decree.  ARB will
provide an overview of the Plan to the Board at its March 23/24,
2017 hearing, at which the Board will also receive public comment
on the Plan. 

Following the hearing, ARB will consider comments received by the
deadline before deciding whether to approve or disapprove, in
whole or in part, VW’s ZEV Investment Plan

Background

On October 25, 2016, the United States District Court for the
Northern District of California approved a proposed 2.0-liter
Partial Consent Decree between ARB, Volkswagen (VW), and the
United States Department of Justice.  The Consent Decree
partially resolves Clean Air Act and California State claims
against VW for equipping its 2.0L diesel vehicles with defeat
devices.  This Consent Decree will fully mitigate the
environmental harm done by VW’s 2.0L diesel cars. 

There are four elements of the Consent Decree, each described in
a separate appendix.  Appendix D requires VW to pay money into a
mitigation fund for States to use to replace dirtier vehicles
with cleaner, less-polluting vehicles; California will receive at
least $381 million of these funds.  Appendix C requires VW to
invest $800 million in California over a 10-year period to
support the increased use and availability of ZEVs.  VW will
implement these investments in four $200 million 30-month cycles.
 Appendix C outlines four areas of qualified investments: ZEV
infrastructure (including the development and maintenance of ZEV
charging stations), public awareness, increasing ZEV access, and
a green city.  

California has also filed a Second California Partial Consent
Decree with the Court for approval which, if approved, would
require Volkswagen, to further mitigate its negative impacts on
the zero-emission vehicle market by 1) completing two Green City
initiatives in California as part of the ZEV investments required
by Appendix C to the First Partial Consent Decree, with the
second Green City required to be in a city with a population of
approximately 500,000 that predominately consists of
Disadvantaged Communities as identified by the California Office
of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment’s CalEnviroScreen
mapping tool; and 2) to introduce three additional Battery
Electric Vehicle models in California from 2019-2025 according to
a schedule specified in the decree. The Second California Partial
Consent Decree would also require Volkswagen to pay ARB $25
million for ARB to spend on ZEV-related aspects of a vehicle
replacement program in California in 2017 or later; and would
require VW to pay about $41 million into the trust established
under the 2.0 liter Partial Consent Decree to be spent by
California on replacing older, dirtier heavy-duty vehicles and
equipment with cleaner vehicles and equipment.  Finally,
Volkswagen has agreed to pay about $153 million in civil
penalties to California and perform other injunctive relief.

General information on all of the components of the VW
settlements is available at
https://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/vw_info/vw-diesel-info/vw-diesel-info.htm.
 Specific information on Appendix C of the 2.0 liter Consent
Decree, including VW’s ZEV Investment Plan, is available at
https://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/vw_info/vsi/vw-zevinvest/vw-zevinvest.htm.
 

Hearing Details

Date:			March 24, 2017
Time: 			8:30 AM

Location:		
Riverside County Administrative Center
4080 Lemon St., 1st Floor
Riverside, California  92501

Participants unable to attend in person may take part via
webcast.  The webcast may be accessed on the day of the hearing
at: https://video.calepa.ca.gov/.  The full notice may be found
at https://www.arb.ca.gov/board/ma/2017/ma032317.pdf.
 
During the hearing, staff will present VW’s first ZEV Investment
Plan and the process and timeline associated with review and
action on the investment plan.  After the discussion, members of
the public will be invited to make comments related to whether
the ZEV Investment Plan meets the terms and goals of the 2.0
liter Consent Decree.  

Interested members of the public may also submit comments by
postal mail or  electronically by 5:00 PM PDT, April 10, 2017 to
the below address.

Postal mail:
Mr. Mark Williams, Mailstop 3E
Air Resources Board
P.O. Box 2815
Sacramento, California  95812

Electronic submittal: 
https://www.arb.ca.gov/lispub/comm2/bcsubform.php?listname=vw-zevinvest-ws&comm_period=1




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