Harley-Davidson has signed a plea deal in the US for a total of 15 million dollars to dismiss charges that the motorcycle maker has violated laws that impose a limit on pollution emissions. According to the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA, the same one that detonated the dieselgate that hit the German Volkswagen last September), the group has produced and sold around 340.000 illegal devices called 'super tuners' ' which, when installed, allowed the motorcycles to emit more emissions than those certified by the EPA.
Furthermore, according to the US government, Harley-Davidson has sold over 12.000 motorcycles without EPA certification which guarantees that a vehicle meets the required standards.
The company did not admit to cheating but agreed to pay a $12 million fine and spend $3 million on clean air projects. "Given Harley-Davidson's importance to the marketplace, this is a very significant step toward our goal of stopping the sale of illegal 'defeat devices' that cause harmful pollution on our roads and in our communities," said John C Cruden, assistant to the secretary of justice and head of the environment division.
