Question 1

When do the new CAFE norms come into force in India?

Accepted Answer

The final CAFE norms take effect on 1 April 2027 and apply until 31 March 2032. They replace the existing CAFE-II rules and cover every new passenger vehicle made or imported for sale in India, except from carmakers selling fewer than 1,000 cars a year.

Question 2

Do CAFE norms apply to commercial vehicles or electric three-wheelers?

Accepted Answer

No. CAFE covers only M1 passenger vehicles, which have up to eight seats plus the driver. Goods vehicles, buses, two-wheelers and three-wheelers are outside the rules. Taxis and corporate cars are M1 vehicles, so they are covered.

Question 3

What is an EV super-credit under the CAFE norms?

Accepted Answer

A super-credit, or volume derogation factor, lets one clean vehicle count as several in a carmaker’s fleet average. Battery-electric and range-extended electric cars count as 3, plug-in hybrids and flex-fuel strong hybrids as 2.5, strong hybrids as 1.6 and flex-fuel cars as 1.1.

Question 4

What does a carmaker pay if it misses its CAFE target?

Accepted Answer

It can trade credits with another carmaker or buy them from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. The buyout price is ₹2,500 per g CO₂/km in FY28 and rises by ₹500 a year to ₹4,500 in FY32, multiplied by the cars sold. Under the draft text, any shortfall left after that is penalised under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001.

Question 5

Will the CAFE norms make electric cars cheaper for fleets?

Accepted Answer

Not automatically. Super-credits make each EV sale worth three cars of compliance to the carmaker, which gives volume buyers leverage, especially near the block ends in FY30 and FY32. The same multiplier also means a carmaker needs fewer EVs to comply, so any price benefit depends on how hard a fleet negotiates.

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