Government mulls strict emission rule to make EV attractive to buyers

To expedite its move towards widespread greener vehicles adoption, the government is planning to take some tough measures to discourage production and purchase of internal combustion engines (ICE) vehicles.

The govt plans to make greener vehicle adoption easy for automakers. It wants to take actions on the line of some countries such as the US, China, who have used many tools in this regard, said a govt official to TOI.

It looks to discourage the production of ICE engines through regulating carbon dioxide emissions and fuel efficiency for automakers.

It is mulling to mandate limits and targets for vehicle emission intensity by every vehicle for automakers. It is also looking to provide flexibility to maintain their production mix between ICE and electric vehicles.

Earlier, the govt had refused to relent on the deadlines it has given two- and three-wheelers for running on batteries by 2023 and 2025 respectively.

This was resisted by auto industry firms. Bajaj Auto and TVS Motor said that banning internal combustion engine three-wheelers and two-wheelers to adopt electric ones by 2025 would be unrealistic.

They added to target only two and three wheelers but not cars makes it incomplete initiative by the govt.

Auto industry body SIAM also requested govt to rather come out with a better and practical roadmap for electric vehicles wider adoption.

Meanwhile, the govt is asking auto manufacturers to ensure that all the models have an average emission level. The work in this regard is already in process, said the official adding that traditional auto manufacturers have always resisted reforms.

These measures will add to the cost of traditional vehicles and make EV better prospects for buyers, said industry observers.