Expert suggestions for auto fuel policy changes

The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has just released a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of past successes of, and future prospects for India’s vehicular emissions control program.

The study points out that India’s vehicle population has grown from 50 million in 2003 when the last auto fuel policy was adopted to 130 million in 2013. Vehicle PM10 emissions have fallen 14 per cent since 2003, but emissions will return to the 2003 levels by 2017 due to vehicle population growth if new controls are not mandated.

Vehicle NOX emissions in India have increased 10 per cent since 2003, and the rate of increase will accelerate in the coming years if nothing is done to curb that trend. Heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and buses are responsible for 56 per cent of all PM10 and 70 per cent of all NOX emissions from on-road vehicles.

Further, more than 40,000 premature deaths each year are caused by vehicle PM10 emissions in India’s cities alone.

The 2003 auto fuel policy roadmap through 2010 was implemented as per schedule. Currently, Bharat Stage (BS) IV fuel (50 ppm sulphur) is supplied to about 30 cities, while BS III fuel (150 ppm sulphur petrol and 350 ppm sulphur diesel) is used in the rest of India.

New light-duty vehicles such as cars and SUVs are mostly BS IV compliant. New light commercial vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles are mostly BS III compliant, while two- and three-wheelers are all BS III compliant.

The recommendations made in the analysis for the 2013 auto fuel policy are:

* Establish a roadmap for improving the fuel quality and vehicle emissions controls, with a goal of reaching BS VI standards as soon as possible. One plausible timeline is given in the accompanying table.

* Dedicate one extra month of ongoing monthly Rs. 0.50 per litre diesel price increase to allow public sector oil companies to raise funds for BS V (10 ppm sulphur) fuel production investments.

* Develop a heavy vehicle scrappage program with fiscal incentives to coincide with the BS VI standard implementation, to reduce the cost of transition.

* Increase durability requirements of vehicle emission control equipment to match real-world vehicle usage.

* Establish by 2015 a national program to test fuel quality at retail outlets to ensure compliance and discourage adulteration.

* Establish by 2015 a national program to test in-use vehicles against their original emission standards to ensure that vehicles are standard-compliant throughout their useful life.

* Set clear guidelines for the mandatory recall of all non-compliant vehicles.

* Mandate annual registration for all vehicle types that is linked to PUC compliance and proof of insurance. This will provide India with more comprehensive data on its vehicle fleet and enable regulations to be streamlined.

* Mandate Stage I and Stage II evaporative emission controls at all urban retail fuel outlets by 2017.

* Mandate on-board refuelling vapour recovery (ORVR) systems on all model year 2015 and newer 4-wheeled vehicles.

The study further says that only about a third of the fuel presently used in India conforms to BS IV standards. Fuel sulphur levels are three to seven times higher in the rest of the country, which blocks implementation of advanced vehicle emission control technologies, such as the diesel particulate filter (DPF). Diesel vehicle PM emissions won’t be reduced dramatically unless all new vehicles comply with BS VI standards.

For details, visit www.theicct.org/india