BS VI norms mandate on-board diagnostics on all vehicles to check emissions

All vehicles manufactured in India from April 1, 2020 onwards, including two- and three-wheelers, will have to be equipped with on-board diagnostic systems to check the level of emissions, according to the latest amended BS VI norms released by the government on Friday.

“The vehicles shall be equipped with on-board diagnostic (BS VI - OBD) systems for emission control which shall have the capability of identifying the likely area of malfunction by means of fault codes stored in computer memory as per the procedure laid down in AIS 137 and as amended from time to time when that failure results in an increase in emission above the limits,” the circular explains.

OBD was first introduced in India in April 2010 for light-duty vehicles of all categories, and updated thresholds were introduced with the BS IV norms in April 2013.

BS VI OBD requirements will be introduced in two phases, with preliminary OBD thresholds (BS VI-1 OBD) applicable for all vehicles manufactured on or after April 1, 2020, and final thresholds (BS VI-2 OBD) applicable from April 1, 2023. Proposed threshold values for BS VI-1 OBD and BS VI-2 OBD are equivalent to preliminary and final Euro 6 threshold limits, respectively.

Two-wheelers, such as motorcycles and mopeds, are the largest vehicle class in India, both in terms of current vehicle population, as well fraction of new vehicle sales. In August 2016 itself, 1.65 million two-wheelers were sold in the country which was over 80% of the total automotive sales during the month.

Thus two-wheelers represent an important source of pollutant emissions and have a significant impact on air quality, particularly in urban areas of the country. As proposed, the BS VI regulations largely align emission limits for two-wheeled vehicles with the most stringent standards adopted for similar vehicle types in Europe, and ensure that these vehicles will largely be no more polluting than BS VI four-wheel passenger vehicles.

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