MoRTH defers mandatory emission control sensor in two-wheelers by two years

10/12/2022

Mumbai, dec 9: The ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) has deferred a requirement that is part of the on-board-diagnostic (phase II) regulations for manufacturers of motorcycles and scooters, till April 2025.
One of the requirements of the OBD (on-board diagnostics) regulation which kicks in from April 1, 2023 is the deployment of a sensor on the instrument cluster to tell the rider whether or not the catalytic converter is functioning at an optimal efficiency.
A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device that converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants. An official at the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) confirmed that the requirement of the sensor has been postponed. “The fixing of sensors to assess the performance of the catalytic converter which was to be earlier met in 2023 is now deferred to April 1, 2025,” said the official. The manufacturers will still have to comply with the other requirements of OBD II, he clarified.
The decision to defer it has been arrived at after extensive stakeholder consultation, said the official. “It’s the only one (requirement) that has been deferred among a host of other things that are to be complied with,” he said. The MoRTH official cited above said that there was an extensive trial carried out by various manufacturers but the results were far from satisfactory. Sometimes the OBD lamp (attached to the sensor) may start glowing even when the catalytic converter’s performance is as per the expectation. The exact location of the sensor on a two wheeler has yet to be ascertained. Globally, Europe has also not been able to do it. The time extension in Europe too is 2025. “In case, the rider gets a false alarm, the owner will unnecessarily get hassled and feel he or she has been short-changed by the manufacturer, '' the official stated. The performance of the sensor is not getting conclusively established. That’s the reason the ministry thought it required to be deferred. There’s no point in rolling it out if the system “is not foolproof,” he added.
The move comes as a big relief for two-wheeler industry which has been reeling under a protracted slowdown since 2018 due to the incessant cost increase that has come on back of slew of regulations. Compliance to yet another regulation would have jacked up the prices of entry level models by Rs 1,000-1,500, denting the sales further, said company executives. “I am very glad that the government has deferred this by two years, it would have otherwise been a big blow to the two wheeler industry,” said Sanjeev Vasdev, founder and MD, Flash Electronics. Flash is a manufacturer of electrical, electronics, gears and transmissions and counts almost every two-wheeler maker in India as its customer.
According to Vasdev, the additional sensor would have had a huge cost impact because sensors do not come cheap. It also would have required changes to be made to the design of the catalytic converter. This would have led to cost escalation Now that it has been postponed, companies will get enough time to do the test. It requires 35,000 kilometres of durability tests.
Also, the timing would have been wrong owing to the challenges related to the availability of the electronic components, said Vasdev. He expects most manufacturers to meet the 2025 deadline ahead of time.
An official at a two-wheeler maker who declined to be identified said, “The matter has been under discussion for some time. The new dates were done in collaboration with industry and are in line with the European approach.” The key issue was the R&D effort required. The deferment will make it easier to achieve, the official added.

Photo Gallery

BSE Sensex

NSE Nifty