Nano: Green claims don’t wash with environmentalists

The Times
March 24, 2009
Rhys Blakely: Analysis

Can the environment afford the world’s cheapest car?
Ratan Tata, the chairman of Tata Motors, extolled the Nano’s green credentials yesterday – in particular its adherence to European emissions standards and that it pumps out less CO2 than many motorcycles.
He also said that nobody knew whether new Nanos coming on to the roads would add to the volume of traffic that gridlocks India’s cities, or whether they would replace older, dirtier vehicles.
The green lobby has little time for such nuances, however, and will be horrified by Mr Tata’s prediction that the Nano could eventually sell a million units a year in the sub-continent. Critics say there is little innovative about the Nano’s tiny, two-cylinder 623cc engine. What the environment needs is a step change in technology, they argue: fuel cell-powered cars and the like.

Meanwhile, a recent report suggested that the Nano could increase the Indian car market by 60 per cent. India’s efforts to expand its dilapidated highway system may be adding about 100km (60 miles) of new road a day, but it is hard to believe that such an increase in vehicle numbers will not equate to chronic congestion.
The situation is already desperate: the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment claims that more than half of India’s cities are fogged by “critical levels” of pollution. The centre is particularly critical of the generous state aid that the Nano project has won. It points out that personal vehicles – cars and two-wheelers – use up more than 75 per cent of the road space in Delhi, but meet only 20 per cent of the city’s commuting demand. “Our cities don’t need more cars,” the environmentalists said. “They need better public transport.”