Does Diesel Have a Place in The Powertrains of The Future?

In the dull winter of the mid-1990s, Delhi's air turned from a nuisance to a national emergency. A heavy, pungent haze lay suspended above the capital, smothering the city. As lung-clogging smog became the new normal, a fierce debate erupted in courtrooms, in the media, and in the offices of automakers. The culprit—or at least, the most visible one—was diesel.

A proposal by the Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA), an autonomous  body, jolted the nation’s automotive industry. It suggested a full ban on diesel-powered private vehicles in the National Capital Region. What it meant in clear language ...