India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has approved a proposed rollout schedule for Bharat Stage VII (BS VII), the country’s next round of vehicle emission norms, set to take effect in stages beginning April 2029, with the final phase scheduled for April 2035. Aligned with Europe’s Euro 7 standards, the draft rules would extend regulation to electric vehicles for the first time while tightening scrutiny of combustion engines, including new limits on brake and tyre particle pollution.
Under the proposed schedule, light goods vehicles would follow in April 2030, with buses and heavier commercial vehicles joining in April 2031. Standards for two-wheelers are expected separately. The rules remain draft proposals, with a consultation window open for objections and suggestions, meaning manufacturers have an outline to work with while the final notification settles the details.
A car does not need an exhaust pipe to pollute. Every time tyres wear down or brakes shed particles, material is added to the air. From April 2031, the proposed framework would introduce limits on brake-particle emissions and requirements for tyre abrasion, capping brake-particle mass emissions at 3 milligrams per kilometre for pure EVs and 7 mg per kilometre for other specified powertrain categories, according to a report in The Hindu.
The draft spans petrol, diesel, CNG, ethanol blends, hydrogen and hybrid powertrains, and applies to M1 vehicles — passenger vehicles with up to eight seats in addition to the driver’s. Its first phase would set exhaust-emission limits alongside requirements for evaporative emissions, fuel and electricity consumption, and battery durability. Manufacturers would have to demonstrate compliance in laboratory tests, on public roads and after vehicles enter regular service, helping establish whether pollution-control systems remain effective over time. On-board systems would monitor emissions and consumption, while a proposed Environmental Vehicle Passport would give users access to information on emissions, efficiency and battery health.
Vehicles would have to meet emission standards for eight years or 160,000 km, with further compliance requirements extending to 10 years or 200,000 km. Petrol-type and diesel vehicles equipped with geofencing technology could receive ‘BS-VII-G’ approval, and manufacturers would be required to declare and label compatibility with ethanol blends exceeding 20 per cent.
The proposal does not cancel the registration of existing BS VI vehicles or require owners to retrofit them, and local restrictions and vehicle-retirement policies remain separate questions. Additional testing, monitoring and component development could raise manufacturing costs, although no credible universal price increase has been established — the eventual bill will depend on the vehicle and the engineering required.
BS VII should also be distinguished from CAFE, the fleet-average fuel-efficiency framework. Both shape vehicle engineering, but BS standards address pollutants and related environmental requirements, while CAFE targets manufacturers’ average fuel consumption and carbon dioxide performance. Meeting one set of obligations does not establish compliance with the other.
For passenger EVs and plug-in hybrids, the draft proposes minimum retention of 75 per cent of initial battery energy during the first five years or 100,000 km, whichever comes first, followed by a 67 per cent minimum extending to eight years or 160,000 km. These are proposed durability requirements, not an automatic entitlement to a free replacement battery, and energy retention should not be treated as an exact prediction of driving range, which also depends on operating conditions.
Original Source: https://www.firstpost.com/business/bs-vii-emission-norms-india-explained-14053705.html
Category: India
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-10-19 06:23:00
