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There are still a lot of older two-stroke engines in use. Four-stroke engines from local and Chinese manufacturers are typically crude air-cooled carbureted des

There are still a lot of older two-stroke engines in use. Four-stroke engines from local and Chinese manufacturers are typically crude air-cooled carbureted designs with very high emissions. A modern European motorcycle might produce 20x lower emissions than a typical Indian bike thanks to much stricter regulations.

kartD 10y ago
Any references on this? I think most engines are Indian manufactured and India uses emission norms based on European regulation [0] Would be interested to see any data. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharat_Stage_emission_standards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharat_Stage_emission_standard...
- gajjanag 10y ago
  You are right in general, but note that for instance there are still many 2 stroke auto rickshaws: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/karnataka-ban-polluting-stroke-autos-bangalore-8141 http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/karnataka-ban-polluti.... Typically, the game goes as follows: new laws get drafted, local groups such as auto rickshaw unions get together and demand time/cash incentives to move to more expensive, cleaner equipment, local governments grant extensions, and the cycle repeats. Then there are the general issues plaguing enforcement in India, which are listed in the wikipedia article.
- jdietrich 10y ago
  The regulations are almost meaningless because of corruption. A majority of drivers in India never took a test - they simply bribed an official to receive a license. Only a fool would pay the Rs 20,000 fee for a commercial vehicle roadworthiness test when the certificate can simply be bought for Rs 1,500. It's easier and cheaper to pay bribes than to work through the official bureaucracy. http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/marianne.bertrand/research/papers/corruption_driving_india_qje.pdf http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/marianne.bertrand/research/p... http://siteresources.worldbank.org/PAKISTANEXTN/Resources/UrbanAir/MainReport.pdf http://siteresources.worldbank.org/PAKISTANEXTN/Resources/Ur... http://thewire.in/16474/why-swacch-bharat-type-schemes-will-fail-in-india/ http://thewire.in/16474/why-swacch-bharat-type-schemes-will-...
  - kartD 10y ago
    Thanks! While I agree on the point of vehicles made pre norms, but vehicle manufactured after their adoption are all mostly going to be compliant (although with the VW scam, I'm sure there are going to be significant doubts about whether the vehicles stay that way). Can't argue on the emission check though, that I definitely believe. One can only hope newer vehicles don't have significant degradation in emissions over time. I guess the main takeaway is that the Indian government has to enforce the rules more than anything.
sliverstorm 10y ago
It's easy to believe there's a lot of room for improvement- we've been improving the design of four-stroke engines for decades- but at least they are a huge step-function better than two-stroke.
Nano2rad 10y ago
All bikes and scooters manufactured in India are 4 stroke,that is so for a decade. Only exception is TVS50, it has some exemption.

kartD 10y ago

Any references on this? I think most engines are Indian manufactured and India uses emission norms based on European regulation [0] Would be interested to see any data. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharat_Stage_emission_standards https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharat_Stage_emission_standard...

gajjanag 10y ago
You are right in general, but note that for instance there are still many 2 stroke auto rickshaws: http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/karnataka-ban-polluting-stroke-autos-bangalore-8141 http://www.autocarpro.in/news-national/karnataka-ban-polluti.... Typically, the game goes as follows: new laws get drafted, local groups such as auto rickshaw unions get together and demand time/cash incentives to move to more expensive, cleaner equipment, local governments grant extensions, and the cycle repeats. Then there are the general issues plaguing enforcement in India, which are listed in the wikipedia article.
jdietrich 10y ago
The regulations are almost meaningless because of corruption. A majority of drivers in India never took a test - they simply bribed an official to receive a license. Only a fool would pay the Rs 20,000 fee for a commercial vehicle roadworthiness test when the certificate can simply be bought for Rs 1,500. It's easier and cheaper to pay bribes than to work through the official bureaucracy. http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/marianne.bertrand/research/papers/corruption_driving_india_qje.pdf http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/marianne.bertrand/research/p... http://siteresources.worldbank.org/PAKISTANEXTN/Resources/UrbanAir/MainReport.pdf http://siteresources.worldbank.org/PAKISTANEXTN/Resources/Ur... http://thewire.in/16474/why-swacch-bharat-type-schemes-will-fail-in-india/ http://thewire.in/16474/why-swacch-bharat-type-schemes-will-...
- kartD 10y ago
  Thanks! While I agree on the point of vehicles made pre norms, but vehicle manufactured after their adoption are all mostly going to be compliant (although with the VW scam, I'm sure there are going to be significant doubts about whether the vehicles stay that way). Can't argue on the emission check though, that I definitely believe. One can only hope newer vehicles don't have significant degradation in emissions over time. I guess the main takeaway is that the Indian government has to enforce the rules more than anything.

sliverstorm 10y ago

It's easy to believe there's a lot of room for improvement- we've been improving the design of four-stroke engines for decades- but at least they are a huge step-function better than two-stroke.

Nano2rad 10y ago

All bikes and scooters manufactured in India are 4 stroke,that is so for a decade. Only exception is TVS50, it has some exemption.