Westport Fuel Systems has entered into an agreement with Tata Motors to have their 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder natural gas spark-ignited commercial vehicle engine family meet the Indian Government’s new Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission standards, scheduled to take effect in April of 2020.

Westport Fuel Systems has been working with Tata Motors since 2012 to develop and launch their BS-IV certified natural gas spark-ignited engines for commercial vehicles, the company said. When completed, Westport Fuel Systems will be supplying the critical natural gas components to Tata Motors, including advanced gas injection systems and controls.

The natural gas components will inlcude the new Westport WP582 Engine Management System, which was built to optimize the overall engine performance and fuel efficiency, the company stated.

BS-VI standards, which are equivalent to Euro-VI standards, are two steps ahead of the BS-IV standards and are currently in effect due to a heightened concern on India’s air quality levels, the company stated in a release. Recent rules enacted in Delhi and the National Capital Region place limits on diesel and petrol vehicles while mandating natural gas for commercial vehicles.

Significant environmental benefits of the BS-VI over BS-IV include about an 87% reduction in tail pipe NOx emissions and 55% reduction in methane emissions beside stringency required by on-board diagnostics standard, according to Westport.

India currently has more than 3 million natural gas powered vehicles with over 1,200 compressed natural gas fueling stations, according to NGV Global statistics. The country is also one of the world's largest commercial vehicles markets