Is it possible to convert BS-III commercial vehicle to BS-IV?
Published On Apr 11, 2017
After the Supreme Court ban on BS-III vehicles last week, most of the manufacturers are perplexed as to how to dispose of the inventory. Many of them are considering to upgrade the existing unsold stock to make it BS-IV compliant. But the question here is that is it possible to do so? At least two of the top CV makers are seriously contemplating on some viable options but that too comes with uncertainty.
It is to be noted that a counsel appeared on March 27 before the Apex Court representing a manufacturer informed that it is not possible to convert BS-III stock to BS-IV, even if cost is considered a secondary. But here is a twist, the third largest CV maker in India Ashok Leyland has indicated that there is a possibility. According to an official from the company, tweak in the Exhaust Gas Recirculator (EGR) is required to make it work for the BS-IV vehicle which is quite easy but depending on the model, there could be more complexities involved.
Similarly, Mahindra & Mahindra opines that at least at the basic level of engine modification, it is fairly possible but if engine replacement is needed then the chassis would also be replaced, if chassis is replaced then wiring harness is also required, so on and so forth. But company hasn’t ruled out the thing and is exploring the opportunities further.
On the other hand, Tata Motors the largest CV maker in the country frankly denies any possibility of converting a BS-III vehicle to a BS-IV rather looking at exporting its current inventory of 20,000-25,000 to BS-III compliant markets. According to a report, the CV makers are expected to either dismantle the vehicles for spares, holding them back for export or upgrading them for resale. But none of them have confirmed the upgrading the existing BS-III vehicles to BS-IV.
Technically speaking, unlike passenger cars and two-wheelers, retro-fitment of the BS-III commercial vehicles is near to impossible as most of the systems used today are still mechanical not electronically controlled. The new BS-IV regulations will require to have electronically controlled EGR. Secondly, the vehicles running today does not have any catalyst based system to reduce pollutants and only possess noise control muffler that lessens audible emissions only.
Having said that, upgrading to BS-IV is more than retro-fitment and need more holistic approach to solve the problem. Let’s wait and watch the fate of 40,000-45,000 units of stockpile across the country.
