Diesel-powered four-wheelers may be banned by 2027!
Diesel-powered four-wheelers may be completely banned in India in the near future. The country is making all possible efforts to reduce the impact of rising crude oil prices and pollution and in the meantime a recommendation has been made to ban diesel-powered four-wheelers.
An oil ministry panel has recommended that India ban the use of diesel-powered four-wheelers by 2027 and switch to electric and gas-fueled vehicles in polluted cities with a population of over 1 million to reduce pollution. India is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. The country aims to generate 40 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2070 to achieve its net zero target.
According to the report posted by the panel on the website of the Ministry of Oil, non-electric buses should not be added to public transport by 2030. Diesel buses should be phased out in city transport from 2024. It is not clear whether the petroleum ministry will seek cabinet approval to implement the recommendations of the energy transition advisory committee headed by former oil secretary Tarun Kapoor.
To promote the use of electric vehicles in the country, the report said the government should look at 'targeted extension' of incentives offered under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Scheme (FAME) after March 31. Diesel accounts for about two-fifths of India's refined fuel consumption, of which 80 percent is used in the transport sector.
The panel has said that only electric vehicles should be allowed to register from 2024, and has suggested more use of railways and gas-powered trucks for cargo movement. The railway network is expected to be fully electric in two to three years. India aims to increase the share of gas in its energy mix from 6.2 percent currently to 15 percent by 2030.
The panel said India should consider building underground gas storage equivalent to two months of demand, as demand is expected to grow at an average compound annual growth rate of 9.78 percent between 2020 and 2050. He suggested using declining oil and gas fields, salt caves and aquifers to create gas storage with the participation of foreign gas producing companies.
