Labelling programme for cars to cover e-vehicles: BEE DG Abhay Bakre

Move to help car manufacturers build energy efficient cars as they would not have to modify as per emission norms

Taking up a new task to make the automobile industry energy efficient, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) would introduce standards, labelling and penalty for passenger vehicles. The new policy, which is been in works for a year, would also now cover e-vehicles, Abhay Bakre, director general, BEE, told Business Standard.

“It is at discussion stage. These are fuel economy norms and the idea is to manufacture energy efficient cars so that they don’t have to modify as per the emission norms. This would cover all fuel sources and there will be a provision for e-vehicles as well,” Bakre said.

This would be one of the vital initiatives by BEE for introducing energy efficiency in a large industry. BEE in 2013 also launched tradable certificates for industries which achieved energy efficiency standards.  

Titled as ‘Perform, Achieve and Trade’, the scheme aimed at major sectors such as thermal power generation, cement, fertilisers, aluminium, iron and steel, pulp and paper. These sectors cover 65 per cent electricity’s industrial consumption in the country.

These industries were given targets for reducing energy consumption. Over achievement by a certain commercial unit is converted into tradable ‘Energy Savings Certificate’ at the end of targeted year, it can sell to the ones who couldn’t achieve the targets.

“The scheme has resulted in energy savings of 8.67 million tonnes of oil equivalent, which is about 30 per cent more than the target that was set. This has also resulted in an emission reduction of 31 million tonnes of CO2. At the same time, Rs 9,500 crores have been saved due to reduction in energy consumption,” said Bakre.

In February this year, BEE received the regulatory nod to trade these energy certificates. This will pave way for designated industries, under the PAT scheme, to buy and sale ESCerts at the two energy exchanges- the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) and the Power Exchange IndiaLimited (PXIL), said the bureau during the launch on Tuesday. 

Bakre said initiation of trading of ESCerts will enable the designated consumers to reap benefits of the monetisation of energy saving initiatives.