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http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/12/06/stories/2009120652280200.htm
With the country moving to the new and tighter emission norms from next year, the commercial vehicle (CV) manufacturers will have to introduce more efficient and high-end diesel engines in their products.
Clean diesel engines, which are the best option in terms of tighter emission standards, have a lower carbon footprint by about 20 per cent, than their petrol counterparts.
They are also 35 per cent more fuel efficient than petrol power plants and provide higher power.
Options
According to Mr Anant J. Talaulicar, Vice-President and Managing Director, Cummins India and Chairman, SIAM Diesel Image Group, out of the two main clean diesel technologies available for manufacturers, the most ideal option would be Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR).
This allows for optimisation of combustion in the engine.
“This technology would best serve Indian conditions as it can tolerate dirtier fuel. It also gives a better fuel economy for the vehicle by around 7 per cent on an average and as high as 15-17 per cent at times,” he said.
The other option is Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR), where one needs to use a filter to remove the impurities from the exhaust. This technology can be found in many diesel-run cars sold in the country currently.
Supplying clean diesel
Mr Talaulicar said that besides the engine, another major factor for the new technology to work is the supply of clean diesel by the petroleum companies. Clean diesel, or ultra-low sulphur diesel, contains 97 per cent less sulphur than previous blends. As of now, however, this blend is not widely available in the country.
“The petroleum industry is investing crores in setting up new refining infrastructure. They will have to supply clean diesel from April. If they can't supply it, they will have to import it,” he said.
He added that Cummins India manufactures clean diesel engines of 5.9-litre capacity.
While Tata Motors' commercial vehicles are the main buyers for these engines, the company also supplies them to other OEMs such as Ashok Leyland and Volvo-Eicher.
Emission norms
From April 1, 14 cities have to move on to the Bharat Stage (BS) IV norms, which allow a maximum of 50 parts per million (ppm) of sulphur in the emissions of diesel engines, while the rest of the country would shift to the BS III norms allowing 350 ppm of sulphur content.
At the moment, the Bharat Stage (BS) II emission norms apply to most of India, which allow a maximum of 500 ppm of sulphur in the emissions of diesel engines.
Certain cities have relatively tighter standards in the BS III norms.
Ageing fleet woes
“In India, the problem is the ageing fleet used by most truckers. Such owners will have to be encouraged by the Government to buy new and more efficient vehicles. It is interesting to see the lifecycle of CVs in India.
“A new vehicle is usually bought in the cities, later sold to truckers in the semi-urban areas and then it ends up picking up garbage somewhere,” said Mr Talaulicar.
Sulphur content
According to the Euro V norms, in the high capacity and high power diesel engines predominantly used in CVs, the limit of sulphur content is as low as 15 ppm. Likewise, from January, the US will move on to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) 2010 norms, where the limit for sulphur content is almost zero.
