Automakers find it tough to tune vehicles to emission norms

Even as the government might introduce next generation emission standards ahead of schedule to combat mounting air pollution in cities, automakers appear more worried about the quality of the fuel. Presently, automakers, selling vehicles in about 35 cities, have to stick to Bharat Stage (BS) IV emission norms.

However, as there is no uniformity in the quality of the fuel available across the country, it is getting increasingly challenging for automakers to tune their vehicles as per requirements.

Sumit Sawhney, chief executive and managing director, Renault India, said, “If someone who drives a BS-IV car fills petrol located in a BS-III area the (car’s) catalytic convertor will go for a toss if even 100 km is driven with that fuel.”

Manufacturers had to upgrade their vehicles when India decided to switch to BS-IV regime in 2010 from BS-III. Though the idea is to make BS-IV available across the country by January 2017 before switching to BS-V in 2020, manufacturers say merely advancing the launch date won’t work.

A senior official from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) noted that while BS-IV is slated to be available pan-India from 2017, automakers have pleaded to the government make BS-V available pan-India from 2019.

"The ministry of petroleum and natural gas has committed to the ministry of road transport and highways about the pan Indian availability of BS-V fuel from 2019," said the SIAM official. Though the upgradation cost for consumers from BS-III to BS-IV was around 1-2 per cent, it won’t be too different for upgrading to BS-V, say industry watchers.

“It is great that the government is thinking about pollution control but just by advancing the date by a year or so will not work. The (oil) refineries have to be geared up first for that kind of change and it does not seem they would be ready for it in time,” said an executive of an auto major.

India’s oil refining companies have been racing against time to meet the requirements for the right quality of fuel.