Abstract:

Following the submission of the Saumitra Chaudhari committee report on Auto Fuel Vision and Policy, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) has been considering the possibility of leapfrogging from Bharat Stage (BS) IV emission standards to BS VI emission standards. The Parliamentary Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas has endorsed the idea. The case for expediting progress to Bharat VI standards, which are based on the European Euro 6/ VI standards, is persuasive.

It is supported by five main considerations:

1. Superior design of the Euro 6/VI emission standards

2. Measurement of in-use emissions reveal that Euro VI standards achieve a much greater reduction in NOX emissions from Euro IV/V levels than the emissions limits alone would indicate.

3. By 2020, the emission control technology needed to meet Euro 6/VI standards will be in its fourth generation, with minimal impact on fuel efficiency.

4. A scrappage program for heavy commercial vehicles can create economic incentives necessary to alleviate automobile industry concerns about impact on vehicle sales.

5. Economic benefits of advancing Bharat VI standards far outweigh costs, and fully justify investments made in supplying ultra-low sulfur fuel.