The fourth Diesel Emissions Conference India 2013 conducted in Pune during October 8-10 discussed in detail the progress being made in advancing diesel emissions legislation and improving the supply and distribution infrastructure of low-sulphur diesel fuel.
The conference brought together over 180 senior executives from the vehicle and engine manufacturing sector in India and abroad, policy makers and emission control suppliers to examine the roadmap for future diesel emissions legislation, diesel fuel quality, supply for heavy-duty vehicles, non-road mobile machinery and diesel generator set engines.
The first day of the conference opened with the keynote presentation by Dr. Saumitra Chaudhuri, Member, Planning Commission, 
which outlined the country’s strategy for reducing commercial vehicle emissions. National emission standards, frequently referred to as Bharat stage IV or BS IV, are currently enforced in 20 major cities, whilst the rest of the country is still operating on Bharat stage III.
Dr. Chaudhuri explained the challenges in implementing a nation-wide standard and showed the possibility of introducing an intermediate standard between BS III and BS IV that would be more achievable for the oil companies which are currently unable to produce 50 ppm sulphur diesel in sufficient quantities for a full nation-wide roll-out.
He concluded stating that the entire supply chain, i.e., oil companies, OEMs and Government agencies, should become responsible for achieving BS IV norms nationwide.
The keynote address was followed by a presentation by Mr. Paulraj Edwin, Chief Engineer, Director, Group Truck Technology, Volvo India Private Ltd., who outlined the perspective of vehicle and engine manufacturers on the implementation of BS IV and the importance of collaboration between OEMs and the Government on an achievable roadmap for nationwide implementation.
Later, Dr. Manfred Schuckert, Senior Manager, Commercial Vehicles, Daimler AG, gave an overview of the global truck business, which showed that Asia will dominate sales volumes over the next 10 to 15 years and that higher fuel costs in Asia would be the main competition driver within the truck industry. The presentation also charted the background of emission standards in developed economies and compared this to the current situation in India.
Earlier, in his presentation, Dr. Anup Bandivadekar, Program Director, International Council on Clean Transport (ICCT), highlighted the accomplishments in improving fuel quality in India until 2010, but acknowledged that since 2010 India has not progressed as much as other developing countries. He also explained that the existence of a single independent fuel testing laboratory and the non-liability for oil companies in terms of fuel quality in distribution and retail needs to be addressed.
Mr. Suderson SV, General Manager, Product Engineering Services, Daimler India 
Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd., said that with technological growth, fuel efficiency of the vehicle has increased and also has reduced fuel consumption. By moving to the next norm, it is not only that the air pollution and emissions get better but the entire economy of the country can be redefined.
Dr. A.A. Gupta, General Manager, Fuels, Indian Oil Corporation, in his address, spoke about the progress of improving the fuel quality in India and the future trends. He also stressed the importance of increasing the responsibility of stakeholders to maintain an unadulterated supply chain by recognising that the investment would be extremely high so that such a programme could not be achieved in a short period of time.
Day two opened with a session addressing developing efficient fuel economy 
strategies for Indian commercial vehicles while not compromising diesel emission reduction. This was followed by a detailed examination of cost-effective options for further emissions reduction across India, with Scania presenting its views on the future of sustainable 
transport with low CO2 emissions. The final day of the conference discussed in detail the non-road mobile machinery sector.
At the conference, the panel also discussed the lack of an AdBlue infrastructure and the potential for AdBlue market development.
