Dieselgate cover-up at VW top? / Renewable support tops 25 bln euros
S眉ddeutsche Zeitung
Two former Volkswagen employees serving as key witnesses for US authorities have accused former and current members of the German carmaker鈥檚 top management of trying to cover up VW鈥檚 emissions fraud scheme, Claus Hulverscheidt, Georg Mascolo and Klaus Ott write in S眉ddeutsche Zeitung. VW鈥檚 ex-CEO Martin Winterkorn and current board member Herbert Diess had been told about manipulations of emissions test of the company鈥檚 diesel vehicles in the US in July 2015 but failed to tell US authorities, the newspaper said. 鈥淭he cover-up rather continued for weeks,鈥� the authors write. If the key witnesses鈥� accusations turned out to be true, the 鈥渆missions scandal would enter a new stage鈥�, they add. VW鈥檚 position so far has been that Winterkorn and the company board had learned about the fraud scheme only days before US authorities made the issue public on 3 September 2015.
Read the article in German .
Volkswagen / Reuters
Volkswagen has confirmed that a settlement with US authorities regarding the company鈥檚 emissions fraud scandal is within reach. VW 鈥渘egotiated a concrete draft of a settlement agreement鈥� which contains 鈥渇ines with a total amount of USD 4.3 billion鈥�, according to the company鈥檚 statement. The settlement agreement also included a 鈥淕uilty Plea鈥� to criminal misconduct. A final conclusion of the settlement was still subject to confirmation by VW鈥檚 management and US authorities, VW explained. The news agency Reuters reported VW鈥檚 total costs in the 鈥淒ieselgate鈥� scandal will exceed the 18.2 billion euros (USD 19.2 billion) the carmaker set aside for penalty payments. The company 鈥渨ill face oversight by an independent monitor over the next three years鈥�, it added.
Read the press release in English and the Reuters article in English .
For background, see the 威力彩玩法 factsheet Dieselgate forces VW to embrace green mobility.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung / Netztransparenz.de (TSOs)
German green power support costs exceeded 25 billion euros in 2016 for the first time, writes Andreas Mihm in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, citing figures released by the four German transmission grid operators (TSO). With 22.8 billion euros, electricity consumers paid the largest part with the EEG surcharge, the mechanism that finances the feed-in tariffs. The surplus in Germany鈥檚 green energy account of 2.9 billion euros at the end of last year was about 450 million euros below the level at the end of 2015. 鈥淭he surplus would have likely been used much more, if the past year had not been a comparatively bad year for wind energy,鈥� writes Mihm.
Find the 2016 figures by the TSOs in German .
For background read the 威力彩玩法 factsheet Balancing the books: Germany's "green energy account" and the 威力彩玩法 dossier The reform of the Renewable Energy Act.
Tagesspiegel
German economy minister Sigmar Gabriel鈥檚 decision to scrap the harmonisation of grid fees across the country continues to outrage politicians in eastern Germany, Jens Tartler writes in Tagesspiegel. Heads of eastern states accuse the federal government of 鈥渂reaching its promise鈥�, according to Tartler. 聽They intend to complain to Chancellor Angela Merkel about Gabriel鈥檚 backtracking regarding the nationwide alignment of power prices. Tartler explains that 鈥渞umour in the energy industry has it鈥� that Gabriel tried to spare the populous West German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where 鈥済rid fees are low and a state election is due鈥� in May.
Grid fees account for about a quarter of the power price and are higher in regions that are sparsely populated and where grids have to be expanded due to newly installed renewable energy capacities.
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier Energiewende effects on power prices, costs and industry.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Introducing a toll for passenger cars on German highways might yield far lower returns than the annual 500 million euros expected by transport minister Alexander Dobrindt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reports. A study by the NGO Green Budget Germany (贵脰厂) commissioned by the Green Party found that a growing number of cars fulfilling the Euro-6 emissions standard, whose owners will have to pay less for the planned road tax discs, could shrink net revenues by as much as 20 million euros per year, FAZ reports. The transport ministry dismissed the study as 鈥渦nsound,鈥� saying that it was not based on current data, according to the newspaper.
Read the article in German and the 贵脰厂鈥檚 study in German .
For more information on Germany鈥檚 mobility systems and the Energiewende, read The energy transition and Germany鈥檚 transport sector.
Handelsblatt
Environment minister Barbara Hendricks鈥� proposal to aid the breakthrough of e-mobility with a mandatory quota for e-cars is misguided, argues Klaus Stratmann in a commentary for business daily Handelsblatt. He says EU emission limits are a suitable instrument to achieve climate goals. 鈥淎s a steering instrument, CO2 limits have a decisive advantage: They are open to all technologies. The fixation on e-cars has reached manic proportions in some parts of politics.鈥� Environmental politicians should make sure that CO2 limits are met not only in the laboratory, but also on the road, instead of stifling alternatives to e-cars, such as vehicles powered by natural gas.
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
Handelsblatt
It is surprising how long it takes for the subject of 鈥渘egative emission鈥� to make its way from scientific models into climate policy mainstream, write Oliver Geden from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) and Stefan Sch盲fer from the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. There is no debate on the urgent topic, even though ambitious climate targets are out of reach without technologies to take CO2 out of the atmosphere. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 want to give up on the temperature targets agreed in Paris, we must discuss unpopular technology options, and at least support researching them.鈥�
Stuttgarter Zeitung
German car suppliers are in good shape thanks to the current global success of the country鈥檚 carmakers, but the industry faces an uncertain future, write Imelda Flaig und Inge Nowak in Stuttgarter Zeitung. The international move to electric and shared mobility puts many businesses at risk, and numerous suppliers have to find entirely new strategies. Major suppliers ZF Friedrichshafen, Ebersp盲cher, Borg-Warner, Bosch, Mahle, SHW and Allgaier said they have long woken up to the challenge, and told the authors about their plans for an electric future. But many companies focused on combustion technologies didn鈥檛 react to the journalists鈥� enquiries, or said they didn鈥檛 want to comment on their plans.
Read the article in German .
