The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways today released the Notification for mass emission standards for flex-fuel ethanol E85 and ED95 in vehicles. The Ministry has notified the test requirements for Type Approval and extension for two, three and four-wheeled vehicles. It has also notified the technical specifications of reference fuel E85 and ED95 used for testing of such vehicles. This Notification will enable vehicle manufacturers to manufacture vehicles running on bio-ethanol E85 and ED95. A bio-ethanol fuel bus is already under trial in Nagpur.
The Ministry is amending the rules under CMVR, 1989 to facilitate the use of greener alternate fuels in vehicles. Alternative fuels are either produced in the country for e.g. Ethanol, Bio-CNG etc. or generated locally like solar photovoltaic and other sources of electric power which can be stored in electric batteries.
The Ministry has already notified Draft Rules for mass emission norms and testing standards of vehicles running on bio-CNG which are under finalisation. The standards of small series testing of vehicles running on electric power have already been notified by the Ministry. All the above steps will enable use of alternative fuels in vehicles in India.
Minister of Road Transport & Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari today chaired a presentation for replacement of engines of BS-III and lower specifications used in buses, with electric motors, to be run in cities facing the problem of pollution, to reduce emissions. The companies involved in research and development of such technologies promised that they will develop economically-viable model so that the purchasers of such buses may find it viable for a longer duration. Hybrid systems of IC engine and electric motors for cars have been successfully tested and are in the process of notification under CMVR. Hybrid systems for bus and three-wheelers are under testing process in some of the test agencies.
One developer has got the testing of three-wheeled auto-rickshaws retrofitted with electric motor completed on the test bench in one of the test agencies and will very soon start on-road testing in three cities. The Minister stressed that the promotion of such technologies will encourage the “Make in India” objective and also reduce dependence of the country on imported fossil fuels.
