Electric buses soon to be plying Bengaluru’s roads

Bengaluru: Electric buses equipped with the ability to cover 150 to 200 km and accommodate 42 passengers will soon become part of the public conveyance in Bengaluru city if the current plans of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) materialize. BMTC has been preparing to introduce these buses soon to the city transport.

These eco-friendly buses, manufactured with the joint cooperation of Tata Motors and Marco Polo, have been put up for display at the International Exhibition Centre here. At the same time, information about these vehicles is also being shared at the Investors Summit organized by the department of industries here.

These buses are as of now being made in two sizes, 9 meters and 12 meters in length. In the 12-meter bus, 42 passengers can sit and 30 can go in standing position. The batteries fitted to these buses have a life of about seven to eight years. The batteries need be charged for six hours for the bus to have the capacity to cover 150 to 200 km. These batteries also have alternative fast charging framework under which the batteries can be completely charged in two hours. These transports can go at a speed of up to 75 km for every hour, and can be modified to suit intra city travel.

Most of the features of the Volvo buses currently in use by the BMTC in the city – power steering, front leveller suspension, air suspension systems have been retained in these buses

BMTC has already set into motion the tender process for the purchase of these electric buses. The central government has already agreed to provide a subsidy of Rs 85 lac for each of these buses procured by BMTC. Tata Motors has already shown the functioning of these buses to BMTC. These buses have been priced at Rs 1.8 crore for 12-metre bus and 1.5 crore for nine-metre. These buses are currently manufactured in Tata Motors facilities at Dharwad and Lucknow.

Experimentally these buses are already on road in cities like Mumbai, New Delhi and Himachal Pradesh in participation with the government. Organizers of the bus exhibition here said that discussions regarding the practicability of serving the people of Bengaluru with these buses in participation with the government are on.