BS6 Norms And Their Impact On The Two-wheeler Industry

India is the largest two-wheeler market in the world. So any norms that are meant for two-wheelers, will obviously affect us. So will the BS6 norms affect us in a good way or a bad one?

• The abbreviation ‘BS6’ translates to Bharat Stage 6.
• These norms are the equivalent of the EURO 6 norms we’ve heard about in Europe.
• What manufacturers have to mainly work with, to ensure their two-wheelers comply with these are a major change in the fuel-injection system.

In terms of growing volume, the two-wheeler segment dominates the market among the various vehicle classes. The dominance is due to the country's growing middle class and the preference of the young population for two-wheelers. While passenger vehicles and two-wheelers dominate the domestic auto market, two-wheeler sales will account for 81.21% of the market share in fiscal year 2020-21.

Two-wheelers are a popular mode of transportation due to their ease of manoeuvring through narrow lanes and traffic jams, and they are also easy to park in congested areas. Furthermore, gearless scooters make two-wheelers more accessible to people who prefer not to ride complicated geared two-wheelers.

What are the BS6 Norms? 

BS6 standards are the most advanced emission standards, equivalent to Euro-VI standards, which are considered the best in European countries. These emission norms, which are set by the Central Pollution Board under the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, help to regulate air pollutants from vehicles. 

To address growing environmental concerns, the Indian government implemented the BS6 standards, which replaced the previous BS4 standards, which were implemented in 2017. As a result, as of today, all vehicles sold, whether cars or motorcycles, must meet the BS6 emission standards.

How have these norms affected the two-wheeler industry?

The transition from BS4 to BS6 standards necessitates a significant change in engine technology. Engine combustion, fuel injection, cylinder pressures, and a variety of other adjustments must be made by automakers. 

Furthermore, for the first time, these manufacturers must install petrol injection systems on these vehicles. Because of the changes required to meet BS6 compliance, vehicle power figures have been slightly reduced. Because the new regulations make engines less powerful and focus on fuel efficiency, carbon emissions from two-wheeler petrol engines have decreased.

Will it affect the price of the two-wheeler you want to buy? 

When the government made it mandatory for manufacturers to adhere to the BS6 standards, they modified the engine to emit less harmful gases. Furthermore, it prevented them from using low-cost carburetors and forced them to use expensive fuel injection in their two-wheeler engines. This caused the on-road price to rise by 10-15%. 

What is the exact difference between a carburetor and a fuel-injected system

The carburetor facilitates fuel and air delivery to the combustion engine for internal combustion. The difference between a carburetor and a fuel injection system is that the injection system uses electronics and sensors to get the air and fuel mixture into the combustion chamber rather than mechanical parts as a carburetor does.

How will it affect the demand for two-wheelers?

Because the prices of two-wheelers increased by up to 10-15% after the introduction of BS6, the sales graph of two-wheeler manufacturing companies fell. Furthermore, this resulted in a significant increase in two-wheeler insurance premiums.

What are the advantages of the BS6 norms? 

While the BS6 standards aim to reduce pollution, here are some of their benefits:

• Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions have been reduced by nearly 25% in petrol vehicles and 70% in diesel vehicles.
• These vehicles' advanced exhaust systems increase their durability.
• Non-Methane Hydrocarbon (NMHC) emissions are also strictly limited under BS6 standards.
• Vehicles must be equipped with onboard diagnostics as a condition of compliance.
• Real Driving Emissions (RDE) also aids in determining emissions not only in laboratory conditions, but also in the real world.

What is your responsibility as the customer? 

While these BS6 standards were put in place to reduce harmful toxic emissions and create a pollution-free environment, it is also important for us as citizens to follow other regulations. In accordance with the Motor Vehicles Act, every owner of a two-wheeler must purchase a bike insurance plan. 

Third party bike insurance is the bare minimum of the two types of insurance plans because it protects against legal liabilities. However, there is no coverage for your bike's damages. A comprehensive plan is a policy that provides both legal protection and personal damage coverage for your motorbike. The comprehensive plan's broader coverage affects the bike insurance price, but it's worth the extra money.

Bottom Line

BS6 standards are only made mandatory for our own safety. Because pollution is one of our country's major issues, the government needed to establish standards to help reduce pollution. In addition, just as the BS6 is for our benefit, two-wheeler insurance serves the same purpose by providing financial protection to the two-wheeler owner.

While the transition to BS6 norms posed some adaptation challenges, they were introduced to benefit us in the long run. There was a need to implement appropriate rules and regulations in order to limit its environmental and human health impacts.