Under the proposed battery durability requirements, pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids will have to retain at least 75 per cent of their original battery energy capacity during the first five years or 1,00,000 km, whichever comes first
| Photo Credit:
Rebecca Cook
The Centre has proposed minimum battery durability requirements for electric passenger vehicles and plug-in hybrids, along with an Environmental Vehicle Passport, as part of its draft Bharat Stage VII (BS VII) norms.
According to a draft notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the proposed norms will apply to M1-category vehicles, which include passenger cars and SUVs, in three phases beginning April 2029.
Besides exhaust emissions, the proposed norms will cover particles released from brakes, tyre wear and systems to monitor vehicle emissions and fuel consumption.
Under the proposed battery durability requirements, pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids will have to retain at least 75 per cent of their original battery energy capacity during the first five years or 1,00,000 km, whichever comes first.
For the subsequent period, extending up to eight years or 1,60,000 km, whichever comes first, the minimum requirement will be 67 per cent.
These requirements are proposed for vehicles manufactured on or after April 1, 2029.
Furthermore, the draft proposes an ‘Environmental Vehicle Passport’, which will be made available to users along with documents certifying the vehicle’s compliance with the prescribed standards.
Accordingly, vehicle users will have access to updated information on fuel consumption, battery health, pollutant emissions and other relevant information generated by the vehicle’s monitoring systems.
Provision will also be made to display the passport inside the vehicle.
The draft notification which was published in the Gazette on October 14, seeks objections and suggestions within 30 days.
As per the proposed implementation schedule, the first phase will begin on April 1, 2029, followed by the second phase on April 1, 2031, and the third on April 1, 2035.
The proposed norms include emission testing under laboratory and real-world driving conditions, along with systems installed in vehicles to identify faults and monitor emissions.
Meanwhile, limits on particles released from vehicle brakes are proposed from April 1, 2031.
EV limits
For pure electric vehicles, the proposed limit will be 3 mg per km per vehicle, while vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles will have a limit of 7 mg per km.
Subsequently, from April 1, 2035, a common limit of 3 mg per km per vehicle will apply across these vehicle types.
In addition, requirements relating to tyre wear are also proposed from April 2031. However, the applicable limits and certain testing requirements will be notified separately.
Additionally, the draft includes measures to prevent tampering with emission control equipment, traction batteries, odometers and vehicle monitoring systems.
Published on October 14, 2026
