BENGALURU: Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), as well as the IT corridor of ITPL, will be the ideal locations for the BMTC to kickstart its electric buses project in the near future with connectivity to outlying areas, a new study has shown. BMTC had recently floated a tender calling for a private operator to run electric buses for them but has temporarily put the project on hold because of a lack of funding. Officials, however, said that the corporation remains committed to operating e-vehicles soon.
According to the report, published by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy as well as the Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, the BMTC could target having 50% of its fleet shift to electric buses by 2022 and 100% by 2030.
To achieve this target however, an integrated plan of action, involving BESCOM will be required for mapping of charging points and feasible routes. "If the trend of falling battery prices continues, BMTC would be looking at a scenario of converting the bulk of its fleet to electric buses. The report presents analyses of the transport and electricity distribution network in Bengaluru as well as a detailed total cost of ownership analysis. The integrated tool could serve as a reference point for future BMTC fleet planning," BMTC Managing Director V Ponnuraj said in the foreword to the report.