Mahindra to make its entire diesel fleet BS-VI compliant
04 Jun 2019
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SUV leader Mahindra and Mahindra will come up with BS-VI emission compliant diesel engines for all its passenger vehicle models except the KUV 100, which runs on a 1.2 litre engine and has low demand.
Mahindra has decided to upgrade its fleet with BS-VI compliant diesel engines unlike several automakers that are planning to cut down the number of diesel engines in their portfolio considering the cost of upgrading to BS-VI emission norms.
While Mahindra’s new SUV models XUV300 and Marazzo are already powered by BS-VI compliant engines, the company plans to upgrade the remaining vehicles will also get an upgradation to BS-VI compliant engines.
The new emission regulation which is set to be enforced from April 2020 demands more changes to diesel engines than petrol engines. The diesel motors will have to reduce NOx emissions by 68 per cent and particulate matter emissions by 82 per cent, which means drastic changes to the current powerplants.
Mahindra has spent Rs1,000 crore in upgrading its diesel engines to comply with BS-VI emission regulations. The company has said that the prototype fleet comprising 136 vehicles of different models has clocked a total of 69 lakh km during testing. In the process of making its engines cleaner, Mahindra has filed for 30 patents and introduced as many as 1,482 new components across its portfolio.
The 600 cc and 900 cc diesel engines which are used by the company’s LCV range (Jeeto and Supro) will be equipped with Lean NOx Trap (LNT), which is relatively cheaper when compared to Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technique. Mahindra will also bolt on turbochargers on these two motors, although the naturally aspirated version of the 900 cc motor will be retained.
The three-cylinder unit that powers the Bolero PowerPlus and TUV300, and the Renault-derived four-cylinder unit that powers the Verito will also continue wih improved versions. The most modern of the three units is the four-cylinder unit that propels the XUV300 and Marazzo. This unit will receive an SCR system with a Urea tank at the rear as well as Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF).
The 2.2-liter engine that is employed by the Scorpio and XUV500 will also get SCR and DPF to cut down emissions. The company has also decided to retain the oldest unit of the lot, the 2.5-liter four-cylinder motor which supports passenger-spec Bolero and its commercial derivatives.
Mahindra is also working on a brand new diesel engine which is called as Future. Further details of this motor are scarce as of now.
On World Environment Day, the Mahindra Group also reinforced its long-term commitment toward the environment with the announcement of its ‘citizens’ movement’ initiative- #CelebrateDifferently. Part of the larger theme of #RiseAgainstClimateChange, Mahindra’s new initiative aims to motivate citizens to plant a tree to celebrate the joyous milestones in their lives.
Planting trees, including improving forest management, conservation, and regeneration, will help offset India's annual greenhouse gas emissions, as well as providing a host of wider environmental and socio-economic benefits.
Under the Mahindra Hariyali project, the group has planted more than 16 million trees in the past 12 years with an annual commitment to plant 1 million trees every year.
Mahindra Group has also committed itself to be 100 per cent carbon neutral by 2040. Twenty companies of the Mahindra Group have committed to science-based targets that are in line with the decarbonization required to keep global temperature increase below 2°C.
