The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has issued a notification which amends the Central Motor Vehicles Rules(CMVR) with new norms. These new norms include regulations concerning spare wheels in some categories as well as some mandatory safety requirements for two-wheelers.
New Law Regarding Spare Tyres
As per the amended norms, the CMVR states that passenger vehicles falling under the M1 category, subject to certain conditions, are not required to be sold with a spare wheel. The M1 category refers to all passenger vehicles with a seating capacity of up to nine occupants, including the driver. The vehicles also must not weigh more than 3.5 tonnes.
The new rule has been brought to free up space in the car that is otherwise reserved for spare tyres. Even though the new rule is applicable to all kinds of vehicles, it has been bought to give more space to the electric cars to install a larger battery and increase the driving range. However, the said rule can only be subjected to models equipped with tubeless tyres. Moreover, the vehicle in question must be equipped with a tyre pressure monitoring system and a tyre repair kit, which includes tyre sealant.
The new step will see an increase in the range of electric cars in the future. The Indian government has been trying to push the sales of electric cars in the past few years. Range anxiety is one of the most common fears in the electric car buyers and the new law is likely to increase the range in the cars.
MoRTH had floated a draft notification in February this year proposing to include the new norms in the CMVR. And as per the latest notification, the aforementioned norms will come into effect from 1 October 2020. The February notification also includes some new ruling about the quality and technical specifications of vehicle windscreen, however, it is likely to come into effect from 2021.
Other Amendments to the CMVR
The amendment also brings with it safety stipulations for motorcycles manufactured after 1/01/2022, which are required to have specific pillion grab rails and footrests, apart from limiting the size of containers that can be fitted to motorcycles. Specifically, containers larger than 550mm length, 510mm width and 500mm height and weighing in excess of 30kg (including carried load and mounting hardware) will be deemed against the rules.
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MoRTH has also stated that, with effect from April 2021, all vehicles, passenger or commercial, fitted with a cabin, must come equipped with safety glass or safety glazing material. The safety glass or glazing material should allow for not less than 70 per cent of light to pass through when used for the front and rear windshields and not less than 50 per cent for side windows.