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MoRTH Proposes Bharat Stage VII Norms
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) proposes the implementation of Bharat Stage VII (BS-VII) emission standards. The draft schedules implementation for passenger cars in the M1 category from 1 April 2029 and solicits public feedback on proposed amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. The proposal introduces enhanced monitoring for real-world emissions, brake particle pollution, tyre abrasion, and electric vehicle battery durability.
Bharat Stage VII Emission Proposed Standards:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Emission limits for passenger vehicles | Proposed limits are: Carbon monoxide (CO) 1,000 mg/km for petrol-type engines and 500 mg/km for diesel engines; Nitrogen oxides (NOx) 60 mg/km for petrol-type engines and 80 mg/km for diesel engines; Particulate matter (PM) 4.5 mg/km for petrol-type engines and 4.5 mg/km for diesel engines. |
| Additional regulatory requirements | The draft provides for: particle-number measurement threshold reduction from 23 nanometers to 10 nanometers; controls to reduce evaporative emissions from fuel systems; emissions testing under real-world driving conditions; ongoing monitoring of emissions-control system performance throughout the vehicle's operational lifespan. |
| Real-world driving emissions (RDE) | Emissions are evaluated under real-world driving conditions utilizing portable emission measurement systems, and on-road testing is incorporated into the type approval process beginning in April 2030. |
| Conformity factor (RDE) | The proposed conformity factor for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particle number emissions is set at 1.0. |
| On-board monitoring requirements | Vehicles must be equipped with systems for: on-board diagnostics (OBD); monitoring emissions and detecting instances where specified thresholds are exceeded; monitoring both fuel consumption and electric energy consumption; ensuring specified monitoring data are accessible via diagnostic systems and, when required, through over-the-air methods. |
| Brake particle emissions regulation | The BS-VII standards propose regulation of brake particle emissions as a non-exhaust pollution source. |
| Brake-particle mass limits and dates | The proposed effective dates and limits are: April 2031, pure electric vehicles 3 mg/km; April 2031, other specified powertrains 7 mg/km; April 2035, all powertrains 3 mg/km. |
| Tyre abrasion requirements | The draft introduces abrasion requirements for C1 tyres effective from April 2031, and specific numerical limits are communicated in a separate notification. |
| Electric vehicle battery durability benchmarks | Minimum retained performance is proposed as 75% for the first 5 years or 100,000 km, and 67% up to 8 years or 160,000 km. |
| Battery durability threshold rule | The applicable threshold is evaluated based on either the specified time or distance limit, whichever is reached first. |
| Environmental Vehicle Passport | The proposed passport provides information on: fuel consumption metrics, electric energy consumption data, battery state-of-health indicators, and pollutant emission levels. |
| Vehicles and fuels | The framework encompasses: petrol and diesel; compressed natural gas (CNG); LPG; ethanol blends including E20; hydrogen; methanol; hybrid vehicles; electric vehicles for relevant energy consumption, battery specifications, and non-exhaust emission requirements. |
| Geofencing provision | The draft introduces provisions for the approval of geofencing-equipped petrol and diesel vehicles as BS-VII-G vehicles. |