In a few weeks, we will see an electrically operated K9 bus making rounds of the city. The bus, which has already arrived in Bangalore and is stationed in BMTC’s Shantinagar depot, armed with an Automobile Research Institute of India (ARI) certification, is awaiting permission (temporary registration) from the Transport Commissioner before it can operate on city roads.
Confirming this, officials in BMTC said that a letter had been written to the Transport Commissioner. “We plan to run trial operations of the bus for three months before any decision is made on purchasing it. It depends on how it performs on the city’s roads. We have also received permission from BESCOM with regard to additional power that will be needed to charge the buses,” said a BMTC official.
The bus, the K9 D Specs, comes with four Ferrous batteries, each with a capacity of 540 Volts. Manufacturers of the bus claim that it can run a distance of 250 kms once the batteries are fully charged for six hours and this is what BMTC wants to check.
The charging facility of the bus will be set up at Kempegowda bus station. BESCOM has sanctioned additional power of 90,000 volts, said BMTC officials. The corporation, however, has not decided on which route the bus will operate, although it is likely that it will be put on long, congested roads to see how the bus fares in these conditions. Four drivers will also be trained in operating the bus.
The air-conditioned vehicle, weighing 14,300 kgs, is 12 metres long and has a seating capacity of 29, plus a wheelchair, besides the driver. It can run at a maximum speed of 96 km per hour and can go from 0-50 km per hour in 20 seconds.
The bus is currently running in countries like China (Shenzen - 300 buses), Singapore and Malaysia said Vishwas Shetty, director, Utopia Automation and Control. “We have slightly modified it to suit Indian conditions and we hope that it works out here,” he said.
Advantages of eBUS
Zero Pollution
Low running cost - Rs 4 per km
Low Maintenance - No IC Engine completely motor driven & Engine oil is not required)
Low Noise
Quick charging - charged 50 per cent in three hours
Long Range - 250 - 300 km for single charge
Wheelchair ramp for physically disabled
Fully air-conditioned
Solar charging option
