Bharat Stage 'BS' Emission Norms Explained, What does it mean and how does it Impact

Bharat Stage Emission

Bharat Stage Emission standards are emission standards instituted by the Government of India to regulate the output of air pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment, including motor vehicles. The standards and the time line for implementation are set by the Central Pollution Control Board under the Ministry of Environment & Forests and climate change.

The standards, based on European regulations were first introduced in 2000. Progressively stringent norms have been rolled out since then. All new vehicles manufactured after the implementation of the norms have to be compliant with the regulations.Since October 2010, Bharat Stage (BS) III norms have been enforced across the country. In 13 major cities, Bharat Stage IV emission norms have been in place since April 2010 and It's enforced for whole country from April 2017. In 2016, the Indian government announced that the country would skip the BS-V norms altogether and adopt BS-VI norms by 2020.

The phasing out of 2-stroke engine for two wheelers, the cessation of production of Maruti 800 & introduction of electronic controls have been due to the regulations related to vehicular emissions.

While the norms help in bringing down pollution levels, it invariably results in increased vehicle cost due to the improved technology & higher fuel prices. However, this increase in private cost is offset by savings in health costs for the public, as there is lesser amount of disease causing particulate matter and pollution in the air. Exposure to air pollution can lead to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, which is estimated to be the cause for 6.2 lakh early deaths in 2010, and the health cost of air pollution in India has been assessed at 3% of its GDP.

Progress of emission standards for 2-and 3-wheelers:-

Table 1: Indian Emission Standards (2 and 3 wheelers)
Standard	Reference	Date
Bharat Stage II	Euro 2	1 April 2005
Bharat Stage III	Euro 3	1 April 2010
Bharat Stage IV	Euro 4	1 April 2017
Bharat Stage VI	Euro 6	April 2020 (proposed)

In order to comply with the BS-IV norms, 2- and 3-wheeler manufacturers will have to fit an evaporative emission control unit, which should lower the amount of fuel that is evaporated when the motorcycle is parked.

Table 2: Indian Emission Standards (4-Wheel Vehicles)
Standard	Reference	YEAR	Region
India 2000	Euro 1	2000	Nationwide
Bharat Stage II	Euro 2	2001	NCR*, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai
		2003.04	NCR*, 13 Cities†
		2005.04	Nationwide
Bharat Stage III	Euro 3	2005.04	NCR*, 13 Cities†
		2010.04	Nationwide
Bharat Stage IV	Euro 4	2016.04	NCR*, 13 Cities†
		2017.04	Nationwide
Bharat Stage V	Euro 5	(to be skipped)
Bharat Stage VI	Euro 6	2020.04 (proposed)	Entire country
* National Capital Region (Delhi) † Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Surat, Kanpur, Lucknow, Sholapur, Jamshedpur and Agra

The above standards apply to all new 4-wheel vehicles sold and registered in the respective regions. In addition, the National Auto Fuel Policy introduces certain emission requirements for interstate buses with routes originating or terminating in Delhi or the other 10 cities.

Trucks and buses:-

Exhaust gases from vehicles form a significant portion of air pollution which is harmful to human health and the environment

Emission standards for new heavy-duty diesel engines—applicable to vehicles of GVW > 3,500 kg—are listed in Table 3

Table 3: Emission Standards for Diesel Truck and Bus Engines, g/kWh
Year	Reference	Test	CO	HC	NOx	PM
1992	–	ECE R49	17.3–32.6	2.7–3.7	–	–
1996	–	ECE R49	11.20	2.40	14.4	–
2000	Euro I	ECE R49	4.5	1.1	8.0	0.36*
2005†	Euro II	ECE R49	4.0	1.1	7.0	0.15
2010†	Euro III	ESC	2.1	0.66	5.0	0.10
		ETC	5.45	0.78	5.0	0.16
2010‡	Euro IV	ESC	1.5	0.46	3.5	0.02
		ETC	4.0	0.55	3.5	0.03
* 0.612 for engines below 85 kW † earlier introduction in selected regions, see Table 1 ‡ only in selected regions, see Table 1

details on Euro I–III regulations can be found in the section on EU heavy-duty engine standards.

Overview of the emission norms in India

·         1991 – Idle CO Limits for Petrol Vehicles and Free Acceleration Smoke for Diesel Vehicles, Mass Emission Norms for Petrol Vehicles.

·         1992 – Mass Emission Norms for Diesel Vehicles.

·         1996 – Revision of Mass Emission Norms for Petrol and Diesel Vehicles, mandatory fitment of Catalytic Converter for Cars in Metros on Unleaded Petrol.

·         1998 – Cold Start Norms Introduced.

·         2000 – India 2000 (Equivalent to Euro I) Norms, Modified IDC (Indian Driving Cycle), Bharat Stage II Norms for Delhi.

·         2001 – Bharat Stage II (Equivalent to Euro II) Norms for All Metros, Emission Norms for CNG & LPG Vehicles.

·         2003 – Bharat Stage II (Equivalent to Euro II) Norms for 13 major cities.

·         2005 – From 1 April Bharat Stage III (Equivalent to Euro III) Norms for 13 major cities.

·         2010 – Bharat Stage III Emission Norms for 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers and 4-wheelers for entire country whereas Bharat Stage – IV (Equivalent to Euro IV) for 13 major cities for only 4-wheelers. Bharat Stage IV also has norms on OBD (similar to Euro III but diluted)

·         2020 – Proposed date for country to adopt Bharat Stage VI norms for cars, skipping Bharat Stage V

What should be expected in the future?

As of now, BS IV will be implemented from April 1, 2017. Those looking to purchase a vehicle will have to spend a higher amount than before to own one.

But, the larger aim for the automotive sector as a whole is to implement BS VI emission regulation by the year 2020 in I

To sum it up, India is making an effort to reach the global standia. Yes, BS VI and yes, BS V will be skipped.

This will require a huge amount of investments to make the oil refineries capable of producing a better quality of fuel and also investments in the infrastructure to make that fuel available across the country.

Then, the automakers will have to make investments on their end too in order to speed up the research and development process and improve their own infrastructure – like the manufacturing plants – to make their offering BS VI compliant.

This, eventually, will make owning an internal combustion engine powered car more expensive to own, and maintain.ndards and hence, a lot of changes in the trends, sales and choices made by customers are expected in the coming years.