Diesel emission standards for light vehicles delayed in China

Delayed further due to the unavailability of compatible fuel nationally

A new set of diesel emission standards for light vehicles, intended to come into effect from 1 July 2013 in China, has been delayed further due to the unavailability of compatible fuel nationally, according to an an announcement by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Meanwhile, the China IV emission diesel standard, similar to the Euro IV standard, has come into effect for heavy vehicles today (1 July 2013). The Ministry has yet to determine when the standards will be implemented for light vehicles. The latest standards mandate the use of diesel fuel with a sulfur particulate content of 50 part per million (ppm), which promises to reduce emissions greatly, but unavailability of this fuel across the country means diesel light vehicles will continue to use China III compatible fuel, which contains sulfur particulates of 350 ppm.