Ban diesel four-wheelers by 2027 in cities with million-plus people, says energy transition panel

Tasked by the Centre to lead a shift to clean energy, the Energy Transition Advisory Committee (ETAC) has suggested a ban on diesel-operated four-wheel vehicles in cities with a population of more than a million by the year 2027.

Former oil secretary Tarun Kapoor-led panel has also said that no diesel-operated buses should be added in cities from 2024 so that public transport can run on clean fuel over the next 10 years, media reports said.

“By 2030, no city buses should be added, which are not electric. CNG may continue till 2035, but diesel buses for city transport should not be added from 2024 onwards,” stated ETAC.

City transport should be a mix of metro trains and electric buses by the end of the current decade, the panel said. “Long-distance buses will have to be a mixture of electric with battery swapping and CNG/ LNG,” it said.

In a September 2022 report, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) said the transport sector contributes up to 20 percent of the PM 2.5 emissions, a key air pollutant.

The suggestions come with their own sets of challenges. The state transport undertakings have issues with limited charging infrastructure and upfront financing.

“Increase the quantum of FAME subsidy per EV, rather than targeting more EVs with lesser subsidy, with a focus on most sustainable vehicle segments, to offer gap viability and linking the cost parity with ICE counterparts for accelerated adoption of EVs other than low speed two and three-wheelers,” the panel was quoted as saying.

The panel made other suggestions including a target for 25% of households to use electricity in cooking by 2030, which would help cut reliance on imported liquefied petroleum gas, and to promote the use of sustainable aviation fuel.

The panel also suggested phasing out motorcycles, scooters and three-wheelers with internal combustion engines by 2035. From 2024 onwards, all new registrations for city-delivery vehicles should be electric, according to the report.

FAME is short for Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India scheme launched in 2015 to promote electric vehicles in the country.

Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad are among the cities which have a population in excess of a million.

The committee has also recommended setting up of a group of ministries such as petroleum, power, coal and renewable energy along with stakeholders to draw a blueprint for the transition, the Economic Times reported the panel as saying.