Eicher Trucks and buses a unit of Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles 9VECT) is the first commercial vehicle manufacturer in India to have completed the certification of its first BS VI compliant CNG engines for CVs with over 3.5 tonnage Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW).
Bharat Stage VI norms in India kicks in starting April 2020 and VECV has completed the compliance test much ahead of the deadline, Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles already manufactures Euro 6 compliant engines from its plant in Pithampur, Indore and now The International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), a division of NATRiP under the Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises has certified the engine that is as per the BS-VI norms set by ARAI and Government of India. The government accredited, ICAT is one of the prime ‘Type Approval and Homologation’ agencies, also recognised by Central Pollution Control Board.
Vinod Aggarwal, MD & CEO, Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicles said, “At VECV, it has been our consistent efforts to drive modernisation in commercial transportation and develop products which are future ready and aligned to India’s regulatory framework. We have already been producing EuroVI compliant engines for Volvo Group and used that expertise in developing a CNG BSVI solution, much ahead of the industry norms. Going forward, we are confident of introducing this as a robust and competitive solution for the end customers.”
Also read: Buy your next car before 2020 or be ready to pay more
Further, the development and the certification process will give a good exposure to both automaker and ICAT when comes to BSVI emission optimization and testing. The successful development and certification of BSVI powered vehicles almost 2 years ahead of the deadline will give automakers a big boost for a successful rollout of its BSVI vehicle line-up in India.
In a statement, The International Centre for Automotive Technology said that “ICAT is committed and equipped to lending its services for testing and development to the auto industry for all their requirements required to be ready for the upcoming regulations.”
Every automaker is currently investing heavily to upgrade its respective product portfolio to BS-VI and with suitable time to move to the cleaner emissions, expect the automakers to be ready with its fleet. Government’s notification is very clear that carmakers and two-wheeler manufacturers can sell its existing BS-IV stock cars for up to 3 months post the 1st April 2018 deadline and commercial vehicles will get 6 months to ensure that its body is built and the vehicle is registered. Expect the cost of vehicles to go up with the launch of BS-VI engine compliant vehicles rolling into the Indian market.
