India Proposes BS-VII Emission Standards Rollout from April 2029
India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has proposed a three-phase rollout of Bharat Stage VII (BS-VII) vehicle emission standards, beginning in April 2029. The draft notification aims to strengthen pollution monitoring by extending compliance requirements beyond laboratory testing to real-world driving conditions and vehicle lifetime performance.
The first phase will cover passenger vehicles, including cars and SUVs, from April 2029. The second phase will extend the requirements to small commercial vehicles in 2030, while the third phase will cover heavy commercial vehicles, buses and construction equipment by April 2035. The proposed framework also aims to align India’s emission regulations with Europe’s Euro 7 standards.
Although the main tailpipe emission limits for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and exhaust particulate matter remain unchanged from BS-VI, the proposal lowers the particulate measurement threshold from 23 nanometers to 10 nanometers to detect finer particles. It also introduces provisions for tyre and brake wear pollution, electric vehicle battery durability and independent testing of vehicles already in use. Automakers have raised concerns about compliance costs and potential delays to new vehicle launches and electric vehicle development.
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