BS-VII And CAFE-III Emission Norms In The Works

The Indian Government has started preparations for the upcoming BS-VII and CAFE-III emission norms. Though this will be introduced as part of the government’s next five-year roadmap, sources revealed to a publication that the initial work has already started for early implementation. 

The upcoming Bharat Stage-VII norms will be similar to the Euro 7 norms which are applicable across Europe. However, the European Commission is set to implement its new emission norms to all its cars from July 2025 onwards, followed by commercial vehicles including buses and trucks from 2027 onwards. While discussions for the implementation of BS-VII norms have already commenced, the Indian Government is also keeping an eye on how the Euro-7 norms play out as well. It will be crucial for India to catch up with new norms especially to sustain the export of Make In India vehicles to European countries and also to keep a tab on emissions. 

Along with that, the third phase of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) norms is also in the works. These norms require car manufacturers to limit the total emission of carbon dioxide produced by its entire fleet in a financial year. After its notification in 2018, the CAFE-III norms were introduced in two phases with the CO2 emission target first set at 130 g/km by 2022-23, and to 113 g/km from 2022-23 onwards. 

To introduce these new norms, the Indian government will be required to coordinate with oil companies who will need to upgrade the quality of fuels. Apart from this, automotive companies will also be required to be taken into the loop to come up with the technology that will be compatible with the new fuel. Either way, a huge amount of investments will be required in both sectors.