Road Transport Ministry mandates stringent emission tests for flex-fuel vehicles

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MoRTH) has notified new emission test standards for flex-fuel vehicles. According to this notification, the vehicles that run on flex fuel will have to take dual emission tests for both gaseous pollutants and particulate matter. However, vehicles that run on hydrogen, will only have to undergo nitrogen oxide tests, stated the notification.

The government notification stating the new emission test standards for vehicles seeking approval under BS6 emission norms has stated that when a bi-fuel has a flex fuel option, both test requirements are applicable. Only Nox emissions shall be determined when the vehicle is running on hydrogen, the notification further reads. The MoRTH notification has also stated that vehicles fuelled with biodiesel blends up to seven per cent will be tested with reference to diesel (B7) and vehicles fuelled with biodiesel blends of above seven per cent will be tested with respective blends.

The government notification has also clarified that particulate mass and number limits for vehicles with positive ignition engines including hybrids shall apply only to the vehicles that have direct injection engines.

For diesel vehicles, the emission of visible pollutants should not exceed the limit value of smoke density when expressed as the light absorption coefficient for various nominal flows when tested at constant speeds over the full load, stated the notification.

This notification comes after the MoRTH published a draft of test requirements for M and N category vehicles on 9th May 2023, which include both private and commercial vehicles. These tests were notified after seeking feedback from stakeholders. The notification stated that these emission tests are aimed at curbing vehicular pollution and ensuring that automakers keep upgrading their technologies to comply with cleaner fuel technologies.