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Tata Indica declared Euro-II fit

Tata Engineering and Locomotives Limited today announced that the Indica has been certified as Euro-II compliant.

The Indica has received the certification for Euro-II compliance from four europe-based independent authorities -- Motor Industries Research Association of the United Kingdom, Institution Nacion De Technica of Spain, Union Technique De I'Automobile Et Du Cyclette of France and Tun of Germany.

The certification, under stringent test conditions with fuel quality akin to that available in Delhi, has been received for both the diesel and the petrol variants of the Indica.

The technology that has made this possible has been developed indigenously at the company's engineering research centres in Pune and Jamshedpur.

V M Raval, executive director, Telco, said, the Indica was the first indigenously designed and produced car to be Euro-I compliant, 16 months before the stipulated date. "Today, once again, it is the first to meet the exacting Euro-II norms, five years before the original date. We are always striving to ensure that our vehicles reflect our commitment to the environment by meeting or surpassing the mandated emission norms. We have a highly focussed, proactive programme in place to ensure that all our vehicles are Euro-II compliant well before the set out date of April 1, 2000.''

Meanwhile, Telco's investments in protecting and preserving the environment have now crossed Rs 4 billion. This includes Rs 1.75 billion in a joint venture with Cummins, the global leader in diesel engine technology in 1993.

The joint venture, Tata Cummins, was a pioneering effort, proactively designed to ensure state-of-the-art engine and emission control technology for India.

Telco has also invested Rs 1.15 billion in an advanced emission testing laboratory towards its trend-setting investments in meeting international emission norms much before they became mandatory in India.

Telco's latest investment in this area is its Rs 400 million water-based paint shop at its car plant currently manufacturing the Indica.

In addition, the company has proactively undertaken several 'green initiatives in and around its manufacturing facilities in Pune, Jamshedpur, Lucknow and now Dharwad. The company's afforestation and horticulture efforts have resulted in over 250,000 trees planted across 125 acres in Pune alone.

Its effluent treatment plants have not only helped in pollution control but also water conservation. Its efforts to control noise pollution have made it one of the quietest manufacturing facilities in an industrial belt.

All Telco-made vehicles have been tested for Euro-II compliance and will be commercially available as and when required. This has been primarily possible due to the company's proactive philosophy and approach to addressing emission norms.

With the new technology becoming available indigenously, the issue is now cleaner fuel. As emission norms advance, it is critical that technology development is matched by an improvement of fuel quality.

Cleaner diesel, with 0.05 per cent sulphur, and petrol with a reduction in benzene, lead and sulphur content, are critical to improve ambient air quality. Current petrol supplies in India have three to five per cent benzene -- which is much higher than the international norms of one per cent.

In addition, sulphur content in diesel, which is currently up to 0.25 per cent must be reduced to 0.05 per cent to meet tighter emission norms, Telco pointed out in a media statement.

Telco welcomed Indian Oil's recent announcement about making available diesel with sulphur content of 0.25 per cent. The availability of international quality diesel will act as a spur to Telco's constant efforts to proactively achieve superior emission norms.

Cleaner fuels can reduce emissions by up to 25 per cent in older generation, in-use vehicles, which constitute 90 per cent of the vehicular population. This is one of the most critical issues in the thrust for cleaner air. Combined with the benefit of vehicles designed to meet Euro-II norms, clean fuel and regular maintenance can actually reduce pollution substantially.

Telco is India's largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. It is the first Indian company in the auto sector to introduce the stringent Euro-I and Euro-II norms well ahead of the mandated dates.

UNI

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Emission norms, air pollution and the auto industry in India

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