Auto industry lobbies to extend 'ICE age' till 2055

The Indian automobile industry has urged the government to defer the proposed ban on the sale of internal combustion engine (ICE)-based four-wheelers from 2040 to 2055, sources familiar with the matter told Business Standard on Thursday.

- DEEPAK PATEL

Earlier, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) had proposed, during discussions on upcoming fuel-efficiency norms, that the sale of ICE-run four-wheelers be halted by 2040—with the aim of making Indian roads ICE-free by 2055, assuming a 15-year average vehicle life cycle.

The proposal has met with resistance from the automobile industry, with its apex body, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), flagging concerns over the economic ramifications of such a move. According to sources, Siam has argued that a 2040 ban, implemented without wide-ranging consultations and rigorous socioeconomic impact assessment, could destabilize ongoing and future investments and threaten millions of jobs in the automotive value chain.

The industry has conveyed to the BEE that it continues to rely heavily on ICE vehicles.