Hero MotoCorp’s Splendor iSmart gets BS-VI certification
Hero MotoCorp is the first Indian motorcycle manufacturer to receive BS-VI certification for a motorcycle. The motorcycle in question is the Splendor iSmart. This is well before the norms come in to effect all over India in April 2020. A lot of the engineering that went in to making the bike BS-VI complaint was done at the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Hero received the Type Approval certificate from the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) for the Splendor iSmart after it passed the required tests that evaluate compliance for BS-VI emission norms. The Type Approval Process is granted once a prototype vehicle built by a company is tested and certified by a government approved test agency. ICAT, ARAI and GARC are such agencies. Since the iSmart has passed all tests, Hero MotoCorp can start manufacturing the bike.
Mr. Dinesh Tyagi, director of ICAT said, “We congratulate Hero MotoCorp for becoming the country’s first two-wheeler manufacturer to get the BS-VI certification. The Type Approval Certificate was issued to the Company’s Splendor iSmart motorcycle that has been developed and manufactured indigenously by Hero MotoCorp. Last year ICAT issued the country’s first approval for BS-VI norms for Heavy Commercial Vehicle (HCV) segment also. The BS-VI emission standards are much more elaborate in their scope and integrate substantial changes to existing emission standards ensuring cleaner products to the consumer.”
What is BS-VI?
BS-VI is the latest emissions norm that will replace BS-IV by April 2020 across the nation. BS-VI will bring a change in fuel as well, with this cleaner fuel already available in Delhi and the NCR region. The difference between BS-IV and BS-VI fuel is that BS-VI fuel contains 5 times lesser sulphur traces and the Nitrogen Oxide levels will be brought down by 70% for diesel engines and 25% for petrol engines. Cars will have to comply to certain emission norms using this cleaner fuel to be sold in India after the deadline.
Words by: Karan Ramgopal