PUNE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday dedicated a fleet of 150 electric buses, manufactured by Olectra Green, for public transport.
Besides, Modi also inaugurated a state-of-the-art electric bus depot and charging station in the Baner locality of Pune during an event, the Hyderabad-based manufacturer of e-buses said in a statement.
Olectra currently operates 150 e-buses in the city for the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML).
In addition to Pune, the company, which is a part of the Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd, has its fleet operating in Surat, Mumbai, Pune, Silvassa, Goa, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Dehradun.
As the response from the commuters in multiple cities is exuberant, the respective transport organisations are willing to expand their electric bus fleet, it stated.
"Olectra is proud to add another 150 fleet of electric buses in Pune city to the current fleet of 150 buses. Olectra is committed to reduce carbon emissions through an efficient electric public transport system," Olectra Greentech Ltd Chairman and Managing Director K V Pradeep said.
The 12-meter air-conditioned buses have a seating capacity of 33 passengers and are equipped with CCTV cameras to ensure the safety of the commuters, an emergency button and USB sockets for each seat.
The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery installed in the bus enables it to travel around 200 kms on a single charge, based on traffic and passenger load conditions, the company said, adding, the high-power AC and DC charging system enables the battery to recharge in 3-4 hours fully.