Jairam Ramesh promises fuel-efficiency labels for cars from October 1

Starting October, cars will have clear labels detailing their fuel efficiency. That’s because India’s fuel efficiency standards are ready and would soon be notified as part of the Energy Conservation Act, 2002.

Announcing this at the annual convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) on Thursday, environment minister Jairam Ramesh said voluntary fuel efficiency labelling would begin by October this year and will become mandatory from next year.

“After considerable wrangling between various ministries, we have resolved the issue and decided to frame fuel efficiency standards under the Energy Conservation Act and not under the Motor Vehicles Act... The technical work is done; only fine-tuning is required to make these standards mandatory for all vehicles.”

Fuel efficiency standards can be devised in two ways — by either declaring the number of kilometres a vehicle will run on a litre of petrol/diesel or by measuring the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per km. India has decided to go the kmpl way.

Once the standards are in force, it will become mandatory for all vehicle makers to declare fuel efficiency in kmpl and also give a weight-wise comparison of vehicles so that the consumer can determine which is the most fuel-efficient vehicle in its class.

If you want to buy a Maruti Alto, the fuel efficiency labelling will tell you the car’s weight, engine capacity, emission stage (BS III or BS IV), fuel type (diesel, petrol, CNG) and fuel efficiency in kmpl.
For the 800-cc Alto, the figures will be: 705 kg, 796 cc, BS IV, gasoline and 19.7 kmpl. Similar data is available for passenger cars being sold in India, so that the consumer can compare the fuel efficiency of the Alto with other cars using the same fuel.

Siam has ensured that all vehicle dealerships voluntarily display engine displacement, fuel type and Arai (Automotive Research Association of India) certified mileage in kmpl for each vehicle.
The minister promised a smooth rollout of BS IV emission norms across the country for 4-wheelers and BS III ones for 2-wheelers and 3-wheelers from October.