Replace small diesel transport vehicles with EVs: IRF
IRF claims that in India, single and double-cylinder technology application, in addition to commercial vehicles, has also got extended to personal vehicles such as quadracycles. At the same time, these vehicles are so designed that they can be overloaded most of the time though they are otherwise registered for a much lower capacity.
By autoX Editorial
International Road Federation (IRF), a Geneva-based global body working for better and safer roads worldwide has urged the Indian government to immediately replace the single and double-cylinder naturally aspirated diesel vehicles used for transportation of passengers and goods with electric vehicles.
IRF claims that in India, single and double-cylinder technology application, in addition to commercial vehicles, has also got extended to personal vehicles such as quadracycles. At the same time, these vehicles are so designed that they can be overloaded most of the time though they are otherwise registered for a much lower capacity.
Adding to that, IRF claims that such vehicles are the main source of pollution in the urban environment. Bharat stage III, IV or VI emission norms for such category of vehicles are merely a paper exercise for approval purposes as they are miserably abused in the field. Industry normally gives the excuse of enforcement of law on ground. Three-wheelers which are approved for three passengers carry 10-15 passengers which is a common sight in urban environment including the NCR, which adds to air and noise pollution.
Moving on, IRF says that the single and double-cylinder lobby is allegedly working to exempt such vehicles from ABS, airbag and crash norms ABS and airbag/crash technologies must not be compromised with claims the organisation, adding that India is already facing alarming number of accidents and to grant further concessions in provisions of safety features would then be suicidal.
K K Kapila, Chairman, IRF said, “This year, the Auto Expo has put on display a large number of e-mobility products in this category of vehicles both in passenger and goods transport sector with larger number of variants. It is high time, the government pushes its agenda for e-mobility in this segment, as the first alternative since the technology, has already matured. To start with, this should be made mandatory in metro towns including the NCR, where emission is the main concern affecting the air quality”.
