Working Paper
Gasoline and diesel fuel quality survey for India: Part 2
This is the second part of ICCT’s comprehensive survey of motor gasoline and automotive diesel fuel quality across India. The first part presented analysis of samples collected in December 2019 and January 2020, while the Bharat Stage (BS) IV standards were still in effect for much of the country. Here the authors detail analysis of samples drawn between July and November 2020, after the implementation of BS VI vehicle emission standards and associated fuel specifications.
All samples analyzed in phase II complied with the more stringent limit of 10 parts per million sulfur in BS VI standards. As shown in the figures below, the sulfur reduction across all retail stations to comply was the most obvious and largest difference seen between samples of phase I and phase II. Results also show that more retail outlets transitioned to ethanol blended fuels (E5, E10) in phase II as compared to phase I. Eight gasoline samples taken during phase II did not comply with BS VI limits on oxygen content. With the transition to more fuel blend availabilities, there is an increased need for clearer pump labeling requirements, so consumers have sufficient information when selecting fuel to purchase. India could also significantly improve its fuel quality monitoring requirements, including by adopting compliance and enforcement programs similar to those in the United States, the European Union, and China.
