New Delhi: The government Friday said it has formulated a draft notification for mass emission standards for bio-diesel (B100) fueled vehicles, a move to promote bio-fuel friendly vehicles across the country.
"This draft is for wider consultation with all the stakeholders so that vehicles fueled on bio-diesel (B100) or in all similar blends of bio-diesel with diesel can be manufactured and used in the country," an official statement from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said today.
As per the draft Central Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules, 2015, "The newly manufactured vehicles fitted with compression ignition engine compatible to run on diesel or mixture of bio-diesel up to hundred per cent bio diesel (B100), shall be type approved as per prevailing diesel emission norms."
It said the compatibility of vehicle to level of bio-diesel blend or B100 shall be defined by the vehicle manufacturer and the same shall be displayed on vehicle by putting a clearly visible sticker.
These standards have been long awaited by the industry especially those manufacturing bio-diesel and will provide alternate source of income to the farmers and the forest dwellers, the statement said.
"The Ministry has also included the standards for test requirements for type approval and extension for four-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicles using both B100 and diesel as fuel, or either of the two," it added.
The standards also include the conformity of production tests and the deterioration factor. Further, the technical specification of the reference fuel B100 has also been formulated.
It said the large areas of degraded land in the country have a vast potential of producing bio-diesel which can be utilised as a source of fuel for transportation in the country.
In addition, the Ministry of Shipping is also working on a scheme to promote bio-diesel powered engines in the ports and inland waterways.
All this will provide huge impetus to bio-diesel farming in the country.
Last month, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had said that the Ministry will come out with standards in the next two months for higher utilisation of bio-diesel in vehicles.
"Standard is there for up to 20 per cent of mixing bio-fuels. We are trying to increase the same and in the next two months we will come out with standards for higher levels," Gadkari said, adding, "in phases we will try to reach 100 per cent".
The Minister said that promoting bio-fuel will result in huge cut in India's massive Rs 6 lakh crore petroleum imports per annum.
