Oops! New cars in India emit more CO2 than old

TIMES NEWS NETWORK



New Delhi: In a complete reversal of international trends, new cars in India are spewing more greenhouse gasses than older models, pushing up emissions in Delhi alone by 72% in five years (2002-07), the Centre for Science and Environment said on Monday, releasing its analysis of emissions data accessed from the Automotive Research Association of India.
Emissions from two-wheelers in the same period, in comparison, have gone up by 61%, the analysis said.
For the consumer, this might be a pointer to deteriorating fuel efficiency of new cars as well — emissions of carbon-dioxide are closely linked to the fuel efficiency of vehicles.
The ARAI had clubbed data of vehicles of different periods that CSE accessed. The cars and two-wheelers had been classified into groups ranging from 1991-96, 1996-2000, post 2000 and post 2005.
The post 2000 petrol cars, with engine size more than 1,400 cc, emit 143 gm/km of CO2. In comparison, post 2005 models of same engine size emit 173 gm/km, CSE said. Extrapolating the emission statistics for fuel efficiency, CSE said the figures implied that fuel economy had dropped in these cars from 16 km/litre to 13 km/litre.
But Anumita Roychowdhury, in charge of CSE’s Right to Clean Air Campaign, said, “This data is extrapolation... The ministry of surface transport has refused to share actual data.’’ Auto manufacturers share fuel economy data for car models at the time of certification of new vehicles with the government. “But the ministry withheld this information under the Right to Information Act, calling it of commercial importance and third-party information. This data is routinely published in other countries to help consumers select fuel-efficient vehicles and help governments set up fuel economy standards,’’ she added.