BS VI Readiness and Roadmap in India

July 31, 2019

India will leapfrog to BS VI emissions standards in 2020 to cut emissions by 80-90 per cent from new vehicles. But real emissions and health benefits are possible only if these advanced technologies are properly operated and maintained and requirements for real world emissions tests are made tighter with strong deterrence for tampering.

This is the only way to prevent another dieselgate.

Is India prepared? Exactly a year from now, India, the only vehicle producing country in the world, will leapfrog directly from Bharat Stage IV emissions standards (BSIV) to Bharat Stage VI. This nation-wide leapfrog in 2020 will cut emissions by as much as 80-90 per cent from new vehicles. But this proactive move can deliver the real benefits only if immediate attention is paid to BS VI readiness. Cities will have to upgrade their on-road surveillance (much beyond the current PUC), bus and truck operators need sensitization on handling of the advance and complex emissions control technologies, and efforts are needed to prevent influx of cheating devices to defeat the stringent operational requirements.