UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — NEW CORPORATE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY (CAFE) NORMS NOTIFIED

Q1. With reference to Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) norms and Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission norms for passenger vehicles in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. BS-VI norms prescribe limits on pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and particulate matter.
  2. A car model that fully complies with BS-VI limits can still worsen its manufacturer's performance under CAFE norms if its fuel consumption is high.
  3. Like BS-VI norms, CAFE norms are applied model by model, so type approval is refused to any model whose fuel consumption exceeds the benchmark.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Consider the following assertion: 'India's CAFE norms for passenger vehicles are legally binding obligations on carmakers rather than advisory guidelines.' Which of the statements given below support/supports the above assertion?

  1. The Energy Conservation Act, as amended in 2022, makes vehicle manufacturers who breach fuel consumption norms liable to a monetary penalty that scales with the number of units sold.
  2. The 2022 amendment enlarged the governing council of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency.
  3. The 2022 amendment brought vehicles, as defined under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, within the energy consumption standards that the Central Government may specify.
  • A. 3 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q3. The new CAFE norms apply a Carbon Neutrality Factor that reduces the CO2 counted for vehicles running on ethanol-blended petrol, biofuels and compressed biogas. With reference to the principle behind such a credit, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The credit reflects lower carbon dioxide actually measured at the tailpipe of vehicles running on ethanol-blended fuel in laboratory tests.
  2. The carbon released on burning biomass-derived fuel was recently drawn from the atmosphere by photosynthesis, whereas fossil-fuel carbon was stored for millions of years.
  3. Because fossil energy is used in growing, processing and distributing biofuels, their life-cycle emissions are generally not zero.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q4. Under the new CAFE norms, the Carbon Neutrality Factor discounts the counted CO2 of flex-fuel vehicles designed for high ethanol blends by a larger margin than that of vehicles using E20–E30 petrol. Critics point out that flex-fuel vehicles may often be filled with ordinary petrol where high-blend fuel is unavailable. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. The Carbon Neutrality Factor implies that flex-fuel vehicles consume less fuel per kilometre than comparable petrol vehicles.
  2. The size of the discount depends on the share of biogenic carbon assumed to be present in the fuel a vehicle uses.
  3. If flex-fuel vehicles mostly run on ordinary petrol, the credited CO2 reduction would overstate the real-world reduction.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q5. The new CAFE norms provide 'super credits' (volume derogation factors) for certain low-emission vehicles. With reference to this mechanism, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A super credit allows each sale of an eligible model to be counted as more than one vehicle while computing the manufacturer's fleet average.
  2. Super credits can make a manufacturer's reported fleet average look better than the actual average performance of the vehicles it sold.
  3. Some vehicles fitted with an internal combustion engine are also eligible for super credits under the new norms.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. With reference to vehicle powertrains that are eligible for super credits under India's new CAFE norms, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A flex-fuel vehicle has an internal combustion engine that can operate on petrol as well as on blends of petrol and ethanol.
  2. A strong hybrid electric vehicle cannot move on electric power alone, since its electric motor only assists the engine.
  3. A strong hybrid electric vehicle can be designed to run on high ethanol blends in addition to electric power.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 3 only

Q7. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The new CAFE norms allow manufacturers to claim CO2 credits for fitting technologies such as high-efficiency air-conditioning and advanced glazing.
  2. The fuel savings from such technologies are not fully captured by the standard laboratory test cycles used to measure a vehicle's fuel consumption.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q8. In a weight-based fleet fuel-consumption standard, the target allowed for a vehicle rises with its weight along a sloped line that passes through a fixed reference weight. If regulators make this line flatter while keeping the target at the reference weight unchanged, which of the following is the most likely outcome?

  • A. Cars of every weight keep the same targets, since only the reference weight matters
  • B. Lighter cars face more demanding targets, while heavier cars face more lenient targets
  • C. Lighter cars face more lenient targets, while heavier cars face more demanding targets
  • D. Cars of every weight face equally more demanding targets than before the change