Delhi switches to BS-VI fuels ahead of April 1, 2018

According to a media report, state-run fuel retailers have started selling BS-VI grade fuels in Delhi, days ahead of schedule. It has been reported that around 397 petrol pumps in the national capital are currently selling BS-VI grade petrol and diesel. With this, Delhi has become the first city in India to switch to the more cleaner BS-VI grade fuels.

In November 2017, the government had announced that BS-VI fuels would be available in Delhi from April 1, 2018 - 2 years ahead of the scheduled country-wide launch. The decision was taken in the wake of rising pollution levels in the city, especially during the stubble-burning season. By 2019, BS-VI fuels will be available in NCR and in the rest of India by April 1, 2020.

The BS-VI fuels have 10 ppm Sulphur, whereas BS-IV grade contains 50 ppm Sulphur. Incase of petrol, apart from the reduction in the Sulphur content, the lead content has gone down from 0.005 g/l to 0.001g/l. According to oil companies, thanks to the low sulphur and lead content, BS-VI fuels produce cleaner emissions than vehicles running on CNG, provided the engines are tuned for the fuel.

In January 2016, the government had decided to skip BS-V and directly launch BS-VI fuels in the country by 2020.

Source: ET Auto