India: Light-duty: Emissions

Overview

 * Standard type: Conventional pollutant emission limits
 * Regulating bodies: Further detail regarding India's regulatory bodies can be found on the India Regulatory Background page
 * Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
 * Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG)
 * Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF)
 * Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH)
 * Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
 * Current standard: Bharat III nationwide, Bharat IV in select cities (Standards run parallel to Euro standards)
 * Applicability: Light-duty vehicles GVW &le; 3,500 kg including passenger cars, utility vehicles, vans and light commercial vehicles

History
Starting with court rulings in the late 1980’s and 1990’s, India began to lower its permissible vehicular pollution emission limits for four-wheelers. After 2000, India adopted the European template for vehicle emissions standards, creating parallel "Bharat" standards (e.g. Bharat III standards are equivalent to Euro 3 standards). New vehicles sold in 13 advanced Indian cities must meet Bharat IV (Euro 4) standards while the rest of the country mandates Bharat III standards.

Important legislative milestones include:
 * The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 gave government the right to regulate motor vehicle emissions.
 * The Motor Vehicles Act of 1988 established vehicular emission standards and authorized the central government and state governments to further regulate and enforce them.

The Auto Fuel Policy of 2003 set a roadmap for progressively tighter heavy-duty vehicle emission standards through 2010, which is currently still in force. This policy aligned Indian emission standards with the European model.

The Auto Fuel Policy of 2003 also laid out two different sets of standards, one for advanced cities and one for the rest of the country. The timeline of advanced standards for India's main cities is summarized in the following table.

LDV Emissions Standards Advanced Adoption Timeline of India's Main Cities Notes: a - Apr 1, 2000 for Delhi, Jan 1, 2001 for Mumbai, Jul 1, 2001 for Kolkata and Chennai b - Jan 1, 2012 for Puducherry and Mathura, Feb 1, 2012 for Vapi and Jamnagar, Mar 1, 2012 for Ankleshwar, Mar 16, 2012 for Hissar and Bharatpur

Technical Standards
Emission standards for light-duty vehicles (GVW &le; 3,500 kg) are summarized below. The lowest limit in each range applies to passenger cars (GVW &le; 2,500 kg; up to 6 seats).

Regulated pollutants include hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and particulate matter (PM), which are tested using a modified version of the European NEDC test cycle. The main difference between the European and Indian testing cycles is that the Indian test has a maximum speed of 90 km/h, while the European has a maximum speed of 120 km/h.

Gasoline vehicles must also meet an evaporative (SHED) limit of 2 g/test (effective 2000).

Through the Bharat II (Euro II) stage, engines for use in light-duty vehicles could be alternatively tested using an engine dynamometer. The respective emission standards are listed below.

OBD Requirements

OBD I is required from 1 April 2010 (except LPG or CNG-fuelled vehicles and those &gt;3500 kg GVW). OBD II is required from 1 April 2013 for Bharat Stage IV light-duty vehicles of all categories.

Test Fuels

Under Bharat III and IV specifications, fuel used to test emissions from vehicles is cleaner than commercially available fuel. Regulations specify that Bharat IV test diesel can have a maximum sulfur concentration of 10 ppm while commercial diesel contains up to 50 ppm and 350 ppm sulfur in Bharat IV cities and the rest of the country, respectively. The lower sulfur in testing fuel means emissions measurements during testing are lower than real-world emissions on the road, particularly for PM. The full diesel and petrol specifications for test fuels may be found in the ARAI Indian Emission Regulation Booklet.

Regulatory documents

 * The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981


 * The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986


 * The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988