April 1, 2017, was the date when BS-IV (Bharat Stage) norms came into effect all over the country. That means any vehicle to be sold after April 1 2017, would have to conform to this emission standard and new vehicles complying with BS-III standards can no longer be sold to customers. For the uninitiated, BS-IV refers to emission norms that are modelled along the lines of the Euro 6 norms found in Europe. Emission norms are the control standards that regulate emission coming out of vehicles.
What is Bharat Standard?
Bharat Standard is a set of emission control norms that were enforced by the government in the year 2000. These standards regulate the exhaust emissions or air pollutants coming out of vehicles having an internal combustion engine. The Central Pollution Control Board that is supervised by the Ministry of Environment & Forests and Climate Change sets the standards. The framework for these norms is the same as that of the European regulation.
BS-IV is the latest and most stringent emission standard to be introduced in the country, and succeeds the previous BS-III norms. After this, the automotive industry will skip BS-V and directly incorporate BS-VI emission standards by April 2020, with manufacturers and fuel suppliers already working towards achieving that goal.
Why Is BS-IV important?
BS-IV is important because of the rising air pollution. Since these norms restrict emissions of vehicles, they play a crucial role in controlling pollution. Vehicles emit dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and sulphur dioxide that are bad for human health.
Indian cities are already figuring prominently among the most polluted cities in the world list: Delhi, Gwalior, Allahabad, Patna, and Raipur have already made the cut. In order to develop in a sustainable manner India needs to control its air pollution and BS-IV is one of the ways of doing it.
What Are the Benefits of BS-IV?
Apart from the obvious benefit of lowering air pollution BS-IV offers many other advantages as well. In order to manufacture BS-IV-ready vehicles, manufacturers have to adopt updated technology that makes vehicles more fuel efficient and powerful. Not only automakers, but also fuel suppliers will have to upgrade to BS-IV quality fuel so that the internal combustion engine runs cleaner and more efficiently.
While manufacturers created buzz before the implementation of norms for the unsold BS-III vehicles, the Supreme Court refused to extend the deadline. Now, when the norms are into swing and you might be opting to buy a new vehicle, don’t forget to opt for a car insurance or bike insurance policy. Compare motor insurance plans online before making a purchase.