Volkswagen – from disilicate to electrolyte

10 August 2018

The Volkswagen group is Recalling 125 thousand electric cars and hybrids because of the cadmium in the battery chargers

The Volkswagen group announced revocable campaign relating to 124 500 units of electric vehicles and rechargeable hybrids, equipped with the charging devices of carcinogenic cadmium.
In this case, perhaps, can we not talk about the next "gate". On the contrary, VW itself shows a counter-initiative, identifying unscrupulous supplier. The terms and procedure of review is now being discussed. The opinion shall be subject to all BEV and PHEV, released by Volkswagen Group in the period January 2013 to June 2018.



Toxic cadmium, typically used in such appliances as TVs, but not for most types of automotive components. And yet one of suppliers of Volkswagen managed to sell him a batch of chargers, including cadmium.
It all started with the fact that last month, Volkswagen Group has sent to the Federal motor transport authority (KBA) a letter in which he told about being in the charging devices to be installed in electric cars and hybrids, the concern of 0.008 g of cadmium. Interestingly, for the owners it is not dangerous, as concluded in detail, in turn, is securely hidden in a rugged case charger. This chemical element leads to environmental pollution or harm to health, if the disposal device is carried out with violation of technology. Once the cadmium has been detected in the charger, the company has stopped production of all vehicles with such devices, has replaced the supplier and after resumed production of cars with podsednik without the toxic element.
The result KBA did not deduct VW "surrender" and according to German newspaper Wirtschafts Woche, now insists that the group has already issued a recall of cars with cadmium and spent on them the same replacement charge.



Considering the fact that the Volkswagen Group has already been fined €1 billion in connection with the "desligada" his financial situation certainly has not improved, but more importantly – reputational damage. Recall that the Volkswagen was caught in 2015 by the U.S. authorities for deliberately concealing data on the actual emissions of its diesel engines. The results of the investigation, the U.S. government ordered VW to withdraw 482 thousand diesel cars are Volkswagen and Audi sold in the period from 2009 to 2015.



In addition, Volkwagen Group at the court had to give an undertaking for construction in the States of battery charging stations in the amount of $2 billion of which $800 million is from California. Network operator charging stancii Volkwagen chose in December 2017, specially designed for the "electrification of America" company Electrify America. By June 2019 Electrify America promises to mount 2800 charging stations for electric cars in 17 major cities of America.