Next fuel norms: Euro VI in 2017

India may opt for Euro VI emission levels in 2017, skipping Euro V. As of now, Euro IV emission levels are applicable in 13 major cities of India and rest of the country has Euro III norms. Chetan Chauhan reports.

Updated on: Jun 7, 2011, 19:03:27 IST

Hindustan Times | By Chetan Chauhan, New Delhi

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

India may opt for Euro VI emission levels in 2017, skipping Euro V. As of now, Euro IV emission levels are applicable in 13 major cities of India and rest of the country has Euro III norms.

By 2012, entire country is supposed to have uniform emission levels of Euro IV for vehicles.

Introduction of new norms depends on improvement in vehicle engine technology and availability of cleaner fuel by petroleum companies.

The government has not prescribed any road map for introduction of higher emission standards after 2012, therefore, an inter-ministerial group has been constituted to discuss future auto fuel policy.

In its recommendation to the committee, the environment ministry has said that India should directly opt for Euro VI norms, which would be applicable in Europe by 2015, instead of Euro V, applicable in Europe since September 2010.

The ministry officials have told the committee that the new norms should be applicable from 2017 as it will provide enough time to automakers and petroleum companies to enhance technology to meet the new standards.

The petroleum companies had to invest Rs 40,000 crore to meet Euro IV norms and it is estimated that similar amount will be required to meet Euro VI norms.

There is not much difference between Euro V and Euro VI, except for emission levels for respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM). In Euro VI, emission level for RSPM for passenger vehicles is half of that in Euro V norms.

But, it will mean a huge difference from the present Euro V levels, where RSPM levels allowed is ten times higher than Euro VI levels.

”It will mean huge investment for the petroleum companies,” said a senior environment ministry official, requesting anonymity. “The rising international fuel prices and high fuel subsidies have been cited as reasons by the petroleum companies for not meeting Euro VI emissions norms by 2015 as is the case in Europe.”

The discussions for the new auto fuel policy was based on the findings of the Air Appropriation Studies conducted in six metros of India. The studies have blamed dust for high RSPM levels in Indian cities while giving clean chit to vehicles.

The Centre for Science and Environment had contested the findings citing flaws in the data used to reach the conclusion. The Central Pollution Control Board, which got the studied conducted, has admitted that the study was not foolproof and there are some errors.

Despite this, the ministry has agreed with the key recommendation of the study financed by oil companies that India should opt for Euro VI in 2017. Officials say the committee will soon submit its recommendation on the new auto fuel policy to the government to take a final call.

India has followed the European emission norms for its vehicles through its first auto fuel policy in 2002.

Euro norms for RSPM

Euro I : 0.14
Euro II : 0.08
Euro III: 0.05
Euro IV 0.025
Euro V 0.005
Euro IV 0.0025

Note : All figures in gram per km of emission

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chetan Chauhan
Chetan Chauhan is the National Affairs Editor looking into all aspects of news and features from across India. A Chevening scholar with over three decades of experience in reporting and news management, Chetan has extensively covered all important aspects of the social sector, political economy, environment and climate change nationally and internationally. He did a journalism course at the Reuters Institute of Journalism in Oxford and Digital Media training at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He started as a reporter with The Statesman in 1996 and joined the Hindustan Times in 2000 in the metro bureau covering environment, crime and Delhi politics. He covered hot local news, from the Jessica Lal murder case to the rebellion of Delhi Congress MLAs against then Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, to the replacement of toxic vehicle fuel with cleaner compressed natural gas (CNG) in the national capital. Some of his stories on air pollution became part of the Supreme Court’s landmark MC Mehta versus Government of India case in the National Capital Region (NCR), forcing the government to take corrective measures. As part of the national political bureau since 2004, he covered important central sectors such as environment, education, social justice, labour, rural development, water resources, renewable energy, agriculture, broadcasting and the Planning Commission for more than a decade producing several exclusive and investigative breaking stories. His specialisation is the environment, having covered at least a dozen United Nations global conferences on climate change, biodiversity and wildlife including climate summits in Paris, Copenhagen and Bali. He also covered India’s two five-year plans ---11th and 12th and reported on drafting and execution of right based laws such as Right to Education, Right to Information and rural job guarantee law, MG-NREGA, now being introduced in new format as VG-RAM-G Act. He has in-depth knowledge of social sector issues. He was one of the first to report on tigers vanishing from Sariska and Panna wildlife reserves in 2004 and 2008, respectively, leading to the setting up of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the introduction of stringent penal provisions for poaching. He has written extensively on the rising human-animal conflict in India and the degradation of India’s biodiversity hotspots because of mining and other activities. Since 2004, Chetan has covered Parliament comprehensively and participated in training on the nuanced coverage of Parliament proceedings. He has travelled extensively across India to cover national and provincial elections since 1998, especially in the Hindi heartland states, considered India’s road to power. He writes a regular column for Hindustan Times, Ecostani, on important national politics, economy, Himalayan ecology and environmental issues. His other responsibilities include providing inputs for edits and edit page articles for the publication, apart from managing news flow from across India.Read More

Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crickit, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Infographics & much more. Explore now!

Stay updated with all top Cities including, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and more across India. Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News along with Delhi Election 2025 and Delhi Election Result 2025 Live, New Delhi Election Result Live, Kalkaji Election Result Live at Hindustan Times.