In the filthy underbelly of the construction world, where the air is thick with diesel fumes – that’s right, diesel fumes, not hydrogen or electric – and the ground shakes with the rumble of heavy machinery, Hyundai Construction Equipment has been playing a dirty game. It’s a game of deceit, of cutting corners, and of blatant disregard for the rules that are supposed to keep our air breathable. This isn’t some minor oversight or bureaucratic slip-up. No, this is a calculated move to line pockets at the expense of the planet, and it’s time we dragged it into the light.
Picture this: between 2012 and 2015, Hyundai stockpiled a bunch of outdated, polluting engines like they were hoarding canned goods for the apocalypse. These were diesel engines that didn’t meet U.S. emissions standards – engines that should’ve been retired, not slapped into shiny new excavators and wheel loaders. But Hyundai did just that, selling them off as if they were compliant. Newsflash: they weren’t. They illegally imported and sold at least 2,269 pieces of heavy equipment with these non-compliant engines, flouting the Clean Air Act like it was a suggestion, not the law.
And they got caught. In 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice came down hard, slapping Hyundai with a £36 million fine for their environmental crimes. But wait, there’s more. Just a year earlier, in 2018, Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas Inc. was hit with a £1.5 million criminal fine for conspiring to defraud the U.S. government and violating the same damn Act. That’s right – two major fines in two years, both tied to the same shady practice of using engines that spew more filth into the air than they’re legally allowed to. It’s not a one-off mistake; it’s a pattern.
Now, let’s talk about what this actually means. These non-compliant engines weren’t just a paperwork problem. They were belching out pollutants that choke our cities, sicken our communities, and leave a legacy of asthma, smog, and a planet gasping for breath. It’s the kind of short-sighted, profit-chasing bullshit that prioritises quarterly earnings over the health of the very people who buy their machines. And for what? So some execs can pat themselves on the back for hitting sales targets?
But here’s where it gets even grittier. Who was supplying these engines to Hyundai? None other than Cummins, a company with its own rap sheet of environmental transgressions. Cummins, the engine giant, has faced its own controversies over emissions cheating and Clean Air Act violations. In fact, they’ve been fined multiple times for similar offences, including a £1.3 billion settlement in 2023 for installing defeat devices on their engines. So, Hyundai, in their infinite wisdom, partnered with a company that’s no stranger to bending the rules. It’s like the blind leading the blind – or in this case, the polluters enabling the polluters.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about Hyundai or Cummins. It’s about an industry that too often treats regulations as obstacles to be dodged rather than safeguards to be respected. It’s about a corporate culture that values profit over people, and it’s about the cost we all pay when companies like these get away with it. The fines might sting, but they’re a drop in the bucket compared to the damage done. And while Hyundai and Cummins count their billions, the rest of us are left breathing their mess.
So, the next time you see a Hyundai excavator tearing up the earth, remember: behind that shiny exterior lies a history of deceit and environmental disregard. With the equally abhorrent Cummins supplying engines to them, it’s little wonder that they’re not the most ethical of entities. It’s high time we demand better from the companies that build our world – because if we don’t, we’re just digging our own graves.
Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project
Sources:
- EPA and DOJ Reach Clean Air Settlement with Hyundai for Engines and Construction Equipment Illegally Imported and Sold in the United States
- Hyundai Construction Equipment Americas Inc. Sentenced to $1.9 Million Criminal Fine for Violating the Clean Air Act
- Feds fine Hyundai $47 million for violating emissions regs for construction equipment
- Cummins to pay record $1.675 billion US environmental fine over excess emissions in pickup trucks