# How do I calculate vehicle emissions when I only have fuel card spend in rupees?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/vehicle-emissions-from-fuel-spend

Convert rupees to litres by dividing the spend by the average pump price for that fuel, month and state, then multiply litres by the fuel's emission factor: 2.68 kg CO2 per litre for diesel and 2.31 for petrol (IPCC 2006 defaults). Label the result an estimate and move to litre-level fuel slips.

## Step by step

1. Split the card statement by fuel type. Diesel, petrol and CNG need separate prices and factors.
2. Remove non-fuel items: lubricants, FASTag top-ups, tolls and service charges.
3. Find the average retail price for each month and state. PPAC publishes retail selling prices for major cities, and prices differ by state because of VAT.
4. Litres = spend / average price per litre. For CNG, kg = spend / price per kg.
5. Emissions = litres x factor: diesel 2.68 kg CO2 per litre, petrol 2.31.

## Why prices matter

Petrol and diesel are outside GST, so the pump price already includes excise duty and state VAT. A price from the wrong state or month can move the litre estimate by several percent. Use dated prices and keep the table you used.

## Which scope

Fuel for vehicles your company owns or controls is Scope 1 mobile combustion. Fuel cards used for employees' own cars reimbursed for business trips are Scope 3 Category 6, business travel. Fuel for hired trucks paid through a freight bill is Scope 3 transport, not your Scope 1.

## Improving the data

A spend-based estimate is the lowest data quality. Ask drivers to keep pump slips, or ask your card provider whether it can give a statement with litres and price per transaction. Then replace the estimate with actual litres.

## Worked example: Rs 1 lakh of diesel in a month (labelled estimate)

- Spend: Rs 1,00,000
- Average pump price: about Rs 90 per litre (illustrative; use PPAC prices for your city and month)
- Litres: 1,00,000 / 90 = about 1,111 L
- Emissions: 1,111 x 2.68 = 2,977 kg CO2, about 3.0 t CO2

A Rs 5 change in the price per litre moves this result by about 5 to 6 percent.

## What Senseible does here

Senseible calculates emissions from fuel slips and invoices that show litres, using the IPCC defaults of 2.68 kg CO2 per litre for diesel and 2.31 for petrol. It does not convert rupee-only lines into litres; with no quantity, it gives no figure.

- [Diesel emission factor](https://senseible.earth/emission-factors/diesel)
- [Logistics Scope 1 emissions in India](https://senseible.earth/climate-intelligence/logistics-scope-1-emissions-india)
- [Business car travel: which scope](https://senseible.earth/answers/business-car-travel-which-scope)

Sources: [2006 IPCC Guidelines, Volume 2 Energy, Chapter 3 (mobile combustion)](https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/vol2.html), [GHG Protocol Corporate Standard](https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-standard)

Last reviewed 2026-10-15. Fuel prices change often; use dated PPAC prices for the period you report.