Emission norms for two-wheelers to get more stringent

While four-wheelers have come under the scanner for the amount of pollution and congestion they cause, motorcycles and scooters account for the majority of automotive sales in India. To put it into perspective, of the 1.97 crore vehicles sold in India in 2014-15, two-wheelers accounted for 1.6 crore sales. In order to reduce the environmental impact of scooters / motorcycles, the government is set to announce more stringent emission standards for two-wheelers.

The Government of India has already stated the April 1, 2020 deadline for cars to adopt the BS-VI emission norms. Sources say the government is now likely to specify that BS-VI standards will apply to two-wheelers as well with an announcement on the new standards expected later this week. The move will be a major part of government efforts to reduce vehicular emissions, considering the collective impact that two-wheelers have on the environment.

According to government norms, the NOx emission limit for a BS-IV petrol car is 0.08 gram per kilometre, but for a two-wheeler, it is 0.39 gram per kilometre. BS-IV norms for two-wheelers have been set and will be effective from April 2016 for newly introduced models and April 2017 for existing models. With the BS-VI norms, the government will be looking to get emissions down across the automotive spectrum.