FCA Senior Engine Calibration Manager Pleads Guilty to Felony in Diesel Emissions Case
Fiat Chrysler’s senior manager of diesel engine calibration pleaded guilty to felony charges related to lying to federal regulators about the automaker's diesel emissions control systems, the U.S. Justice Department announced Thursday.
The guilty plea on behalf of Emanuele Palma is only the latest part of the legal drama involving Fiat Chrysler and the EPA. The automaker, now part of Stellantis, was previously convicted of defrauding both its customers and the agency itself in relation to diesel emission levels, particularly as they pertain to the brand’s 3.0-liter diesel engine found in the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500. FCA agreed to pay around $300 million in criminal penalties related to its emissions misgivings that impacted over 100,000 vehicles back in June 2020.
Palma was initially charged in relation to this case back in 2019, but pleaded guilty conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act on Wednesday. A sentencing trial is now slated to take place on October 17th.
The superseding indictment related to the case suggests the FCA pulled a similar move as VW in its efforts to hide emissions levels in their diesel vehicles. This process involved creating separate engine calibrations for EPA test vehicles and the production units that made their way to customers. FCA was specifically cited for modifying the rate of exhaust gas recirculation in the powertrain to tamper with these figures.
"Senior auto officials at FCA U.S., including Mr. Palma, conspired to circumvent pollution standards and obtain EPA certifications for hundreds of thousands of SUVs and pickup trucks under false pretenses,” Todd Kim, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, said in a statement.
The EPA has been cracking down on all sources of diesel vehicles emissions in recent years, be they from automaker or aftermarket companies alike. Automakers in particular surely haven’t helped anyone in these scenarios, as the EPA has tightened its grip on the industry in response to the visibility of Dieselgate and actions like this.
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