Going Green Ideas

The rising number of automobiles has had one negative fall out: air pollution, however one a positive note one must add that the emission in motor vehicles has seen a steady decrease over the years. According to SIAM (Society of automobile Manufacturers in India) the country has seen an 86% reduction in pollution levels over the last decade or so. It has to be noted that India has some of the stringent standards for two-wheeler prevalent anywhere in the world.With the introduction of Euro III (Bharat III in the Indian context) in
select cities and the rest of the country moving to Euro II standards, Indians could breathe easy and breathe cleaner air. All car manufacturers have already started phasing out Euro I cars because they won't be allowed to be sold in the country because of these new emission norms.

The emission norms in India came into force from 1991 for Petrol vehicles and in the following year it was extended to Diesel vehicles that were plying in the country. From the year 1995 it was made mandatory for all petrol vehicles in the four metros to use catalytic converters. Unleaded petrol was also made available to these four cities then, which was later extended to other parts of the country by the year 2000.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has taken some steps to reduce air pollution in the country

• Establishment of Ambient air quality monitoring throughout the country.
  
• Notification of Ambient air quality standards under the Environment Protection Act.
  
• Notification of Air pollution norms
  
• Improving the fuel quality
  
• Introduction of cars that run on alternative fuel like CNG/LPG etc.
  
• Improvement of public transport system
  
• Phasing out old and polluting commercial vehicles
  
• Creating awareness and public campaigns

In the wake of making the country pollution free various car companies have taken steps to improve the situation. Maruti Suzukiwhich is one of the oldest car manufacturers in the country organizes free pollution check camps and is also pushing aggressively for CNG kits for its cars. Recently it has launched a Wagon R which comes fitted with LPG kit; it also has a LPG version of its popular car OMNI in its kitty.

Hyundai Motor Company globally has been in the forefront of innovating environmental friendly vehicles like Hybrid Electric Vehicle and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles.

Companies like Tata Motors and Mahindra and Mahindra are also working hard to meet the stringent Bharat III or the Euro III standards in their diesel engines. It has been able to meet the standard with a conventional diesel engine; however it is also working on a CRDI engine to stay in the competition. Mahindra on the other hand has straightway introduced a CRDI version of its flagship vehicle Scorpio.

Not to be left behind the two-wheeler manufacturers have already taking steps to meet the strict emission standards that are pRevalent in the country. hero honda which is one of the largest two wheeler manufacturer in the country has a philosophy of continuously innovating new products to improve environmental compatibility.

Similarly automobile users have a key role to play to keep the environment pollution free, they should maintain their vehicles and drive responsibly to make the country a better place to drive about.