The multi-pronged strategy — shared with member countries —has proposed the introduction of improved fuel quality with standards that focus on ultra-low sulphur diesel containing up to 10-15 parts per million to enable the use of advanced technologies.
Similarly, tailpipe emission standards have been proposed to regulate air pollutant emissions, especially soot, black carbon, particulate matter, and oxides of nitrogen. “Experience demonstrates that the combination of stringent fuel quality and tailpipe emission standards is a highly cost-effective strategy,” the US said in its proposal.
The third point of focus is on fuel efficiency. “These standards drive efficiency improvements in engine design, as well as other improvements to the overall design of the vehicle, like using lower-weight materials and increasing vehicle aerodynamics in order to reduce fuel consumption,” the proposal added.
It further suggested a national and regional “green freight programme” that will push governments to work with companies for better efficiency of legacy fleets through use of better tyres and contours that reduce wind drag and improve aerodynamics that again result in better fuel efficiency for trucks.
Faced with the problem of high vehicular emissions, the government in India has already evolved a multi-pronged approach that seeks to address some of the issues that have been flagged by the US. For instance, when it comes to fuel standards, the sulphur emission will be brought down to 10 PPM when Euro VI standards are rolled out.
Similarly, sources said, a bulk of the vehicles that are sold in the country focus on high fuel efficiency given that, for consumers, this is one of the most important aspects driving purchase decisions. Although India is yet to offer its position at the G20, it is unlikely to accept binding standards when steps are being taken voluntarily.