Gasgoo.com (Shanghai June 30) - The new fourth series of national diesel fuel emission standards for heavy vehicles will come into effect on July 1, Economic Observer News reported today, citing an announcement made by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. However, due to a lack of necessary fuel commodities in China, new diesel fuel standards for light vehicles, which constitute nearly half of all diesel-powered vehicles in the country, will be further delayed. When those standards will finally be implemented has yet to be confirmed.
According to an official explanation, the fourth national standards will require that diesel-powered vehicles be able to use diesel fuel with a sulfur particulate content of 50 ppm. However, this quality of fuel is still not fully available throughout the country, while third standard diesel fuel, which contains a sulfur particulate content of 350 ppm, is readily available. It is still unclear when the new fuel will be easily available across the country.
The fourth diesel fuel emission standards were first announced in 2005. Successful testing for the new emission standards completed in July 2010. As of July 2011, newly manufactured and sold vehicles were mandated to adhere to the new standards. However, due to lack of available fuel, the Ministry of Environmental Protection sent an announcement to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers stating that the standards will be delayed for another two years.
Commenting on the news, Yue Xin, head of the automobile fuel emissions laboratory at the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, lamented that, "as smog pollution in [Chinese] cities becomes more serious, delaying the fourth diesel fuel standard a second time is unbelievable." He pointed out that current diesel fuels are responsible for higher emissions of certain pollution including nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter than normal gasoline.
