Auto lpg coalition raises concerns in notification on the conversion of bs vi vehicles: The Indian Auto LPG Coalition (IAC) recently wrote to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to voice its concerns about the draft notification requiring crash tests and in-service conformity for BS-VI vehicles converted to auto LPG and CNG. The IAC says that these kinds of rules are wholly impossible and unrealistic.
The IAC has many problems with different parts of the draft notice, especially the requirement for a crash test and the short time that type of approval is valid. It says that the proposed rules not only keep the playing field unfair for retrofit providers compared to original equipment makers (OEMs) but also hurt the government’s long-term environmental goals. The IAC strongly supports the idea that type approval should be valid for life, pointing out that anything less would significantly raise costs, discourage conversion kit makers, and slow the car retrofitting market’s growth.
It is thought that the current rules, which need to be renewed every three years, could cost a type approval or upgrade kit player up to Rs 10 crore. This vast financial load is why no one in the value chain wants to do anything about it.
The IAC also says that the draft’s requirement that retrofitted cars be crash-tested is impractical and has never been done before in the global aftermarket or Europe. The draft also calls for in-service conformity after three years, which the IAC says is impossible because owners of retrofitted cars will likely return to the retrofitter.
The Coalition doesn’t understand why the draft notification called for stricter rules when the old BS standards said a kit could be used on any car with a CC within a 25% range, regardless of the CC. But the current plan only calls for a 7% tax on vehicles up to 1500 cc and a 5% tax on vehicles over 1500 cc.
Director General of the IAC Suyash Gupta discussed their disappointment with the government’s plans. He said the proposals strongly favor OEMs and leave out players in the auto retrofitting and conversion kit markets. Many of these players are MSMEs, which have been hit hard by these one-sided policies. He pointed out that the number of Kit Type Approval holders has dropped sharply from over a dozen 20 years ago to only three or four today. This shows how hard things are for these small businesses.
Gupta also said that these drafts do not support cleaner transportation, a balanced economy-ecology, or affordable fuel prices for the average person. He ended by asking the ministry to rethink these rules since India is one of the countries with the most cars on the road and has smog problems that keep coming back.
The IAC is India’s leading group that promotes auto LPG. Its members include oil sector public sector undertakings (PSUs), private auto LPG marketers, kit suppliers, and equipment makers.