The auto industry has requested the government to defer the implementation of Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE-2) regulations and BS-VI stage II norms to April 2024, given the impact of the lockdown measures.
Important Point
CAFE or Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency/Economy regulations are in force in many advanced as well as developing nations, including India.
They aim at lowering fuel consumption (or improving fuel efficiency) of vehicles by lowering Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, thus serving the twin purposes of reducing dependence on oil for fuel and controlling pollution.
Corporate Average refers to the sales-volume weighted average for every auto manufacturer.
The idea of CAFÉ is to push manufacturers to achieve fuel efficiency targets by producing and selling more fuel-efficient models, including electric vehicles
Launch in India:
The CAFÉ standards were first notified in 2017 by the Union Ministry of Power (MoP) under Energy Conservation Act, 2001.
Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
The regulation is following the fuel consumption standards of 2015 that aim to increase the fuel efficiency of vehicles road by 35% by 2030.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is the nodal agency responsible for monitoring and reporting a summary of annual fuel consumption by automobile manufacturers at the end of each fiscal year.
The regulation was introduced in two target phases: A carbon dioxide emission target of 130 gram/kilometres by 2022-23 and 113 g/km 2022-23 onwards.
Applicability:
The norms are applicable for petrol, diesel, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) passenger vehicles.
Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
BS-VI Stage II Norms:
Bharat Stage (BS) emission standards are laid down by the government to regulate the output of air pollutants from the internal combustion engine and spark-ignition engine equipment, including motor vehicles.
These standards are targeted at making improvements in three areas - emission control, fuel efficiency, and engine design.
The central government has mandated that vehicle makers must manufacture, sell, and register only BS-VI (BS6) vehicles from 1st April 2020.
BS-VI is equivalent to Euro-VI norms currently in place across countries in Europe.
As per BS-VI emission norms, petrol vehicles will have to effect a 25% reduction in their NOx, or nitrogen oxide emissions. Diesel engines will have to reduce their HC+NOx (hydrocarbon + nitrogen oxides) by 43%, their NOx levels by 68%, and particulate matter levels by 82%.
Sulphur content in fuel is a major cause for concern.
BS-VI fuel's sulphur content is much lower than BS-IV fuel. It is reduced to 10 mg/kg max in BS-VI from 50 mg/kg under BS-IV.