Air pollution is one of the major problems that many metro cities in India are facing. In New Delhi, the government and authorities impose restrictions on the movement of old diesel vehicles. They also follow the NGT rule, which has reduced the lifespan of diesel vehicles to 10 years and petrol vehicles to 15 years. It looks like Maharashtra is on the same path as Delhi, as the Bombay High Court on Thursday proposed the phasing out of diesel vehicles and wood/coal-fired kilns (bhattis) used by bakeries as part of its efforts to combat the deteriorating air quality in Mumbai.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice GS Kulkarni emphasized the importance of moving from diesel vehicles to CNG and EVs. The bench also mentioned that they are not asking authorities to copy the Delhi model but to permit only CNG-driven vehicles instead of diesel ones. The bench made this suggestion while hearing a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition from 2023 dealing with concerns over the city’s poor air quality.
As air pollution and a dipping air quality index are major issues, the central government has also stepped into this matter. Nitin Gadkari, who is currently the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways in India, is one of those people known for taking initiatives in the name of sustainability.
Nitin Gadkari has already asked manufacturers to move away from diesel vehicles. The minister has even requested many to concentrate on electric and ethanol-fueled vehicles, which allegedly cause less damage to the environment. The minister had announced last year that they are looking at completely eliminating petrol and diesel vehicles from the country within ten years.
This means car manufacturers are already under a lot of pressure. With stricter emission norms like BS6 and the upcoming BS7, car manufacturers are forced to make existing engines compliant with the norms. Modifying an engine to meet the norms is an expensive task, as it requires the addition of new components.
This adds to the cost of the vehicle. However, this cost is higher for diesel engines. When the prices of diesel variants or cars go up, the demand decreases, and the manufacturer is often forced to discontinue the model. This is one of the reasons why we don’t see small cars with diesel engines anymore. People are simply not ready to spend a hefty amount on a small diesel hatchback.
Diesels still a great choice!
However, if you are a person who drives over 1500 km or more every month, diesel is a sensible choice. While we have several petrol cars with fuel-efficient motors, they are not as efficient as diesels. Diesel engines are much more economical on long drives because they are more efficient.
Diesel engines are efficient because of the way they are designed. Diesel engines have a high compression ratio, which leads to more energy extraction from the fuel. Diesel engines also operate with a very lean air-fuel mixture. This means they use less fuel and more air in the engine, allowing the fuel to burn efficiently. This also reflects in the vehicle’s fuel economy.
Additionally, the price of diesel in most Indian cities is lower than petrol, and that also makes a lot of difference. If you feel that electric vehicles can replace diesel cars, that is not entirely true, at least for now. While we have several charging stations in different parts of the country, the charging infrastructure still has a long way to go.
If you take an EV on a long drive, most of the charging stations offer fast charging facilities, but many of them are actually extremely pricey compared to diesel. Furthermore, there is no guarantee whether the charging station will be working or vacant when you reach it, and such stops for charging take a lot of time during road trips with an EV.
The Bombay High Court has only made a suggestion, and we really hope that the authorities consider all factors before making a final decision.
