E-buses are here to stay for another 10 to 15 years considering their much-lower life cycle cost when compared to diesel buses and their potential to lower pollution levels, Anurag Jain, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, has said.
The buses have much lower operation and maintenance expenses and can be popularised by, among other means, “green financing”. Over the years, technological solutions have emerged to make their operation financially viable. Adequate charging infrastructure must be readied to ensure optimal fleet utility and private partnerships could help in that regard, he said at the 15th Urban Mobility India conclave in Kochi on Saturday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, O.P. Agarwal, urban transport expert and former Officer on Special Duty, Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), said the current big thing was the yearning for cleaner technologies. Cities in Kerala must thus strive to have electric buses, autos and freight carriers in the coming 10 years. It would be a game-changer for the State and a pioneer for rest of the country, he said.
“There is higher awareness in Kerala about problems like environmental pollution, thanks to its educated and demanding citizenry. The private sector could be given help in the form of loans for which the government stood guarantee during initial years, since e-buses need much higher capital investment than for diesel buses. This is important since banks would initially be hesitant to give loans for their procurement, due to low level of awareness,” he said.
To a question on the impact of pollution caused by reliance on thermal power for e-vehicles, Mr. Agarwal said the country had an electricity grid where there was need for steady demand. “It is ideal that vehicles are plugged in for recharging when demand for power is less, for which the tarriff should ideally be low. This time-of-day pricing will help shift the demand to off-peak recharging.”
