Officials from Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), Union Ministry of Power and Surface Transport will inform the automobile industry for the first time about their plans to label cars and two-wheelers as per their fuel efficiency, sources told Deccan Herald.

The number of registered vehicles in India has increased from 21.4 million in 1990 to 72.7 million in 2003 with the maximum growth observed in the two-wheeler segment.

Incorporation of fuel efficient engines will not only reduce the carbon dioxide load but will give the customers a choice.  The BEE scheme envisages putting up of star levels on every car to inform the users about the fuel efficiency.

A car with five stars is the most fuel efficient while an automobile with only one star is the least efficient and most polluting.

Likely to meet opposition

Two industry bodies – Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) – have been invited for the meeting. Both are likely to fiercely oppose the scheme, sources said.

When contacted SIAM official Dilip Chenoy said this is only the first meeting and he can not comment on it.

Though the ratings will be voluntary in the first phase, the government wants to mak it compulsory after 2012 in accordance with the Energy Conservation Act of 2001.  “We will have to carry the industry with us to see what is feasible. The implementation timetable depends on the industry readiness,” Mathur said.

For reasons best known to them, manufacturers do not divulge the efficiency data though they provide it to the government agencies. If a car gives less than or equal to 10 km in every litre, it will get one star. On the other hand a five-star car will give more than 25.6 km in every litre. In between there are three more categories, sources said. BEE anticipates three-fourth of the vehicles in the market will have a three or four star and there are potential that several of them can be raised to the five star level by 2012.