BENGALURU: If everything goes according to plan, India may soon get electric buses for public transport. These buses can be charged within 15 seconds, according to ABB India Limited, which is developing the technology.
Sanjeev Sharma, Managing Director of ABB India Limited, told reporters on Monday that they had only developed the technology, and not the bus. “Electric energy-enabled buses are a reality in the Swiss city of Geneva. We have spoken to Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, who was impressed with the concept. He asked us to work on it on a pilot basis,” said Sanjeev Sharma.
Explaining the features of the bus, Sharma said the buses can be charged in 15 seconds at bus shelters and can run for the next three stops. These buses are environment-friendly as they don’t emit carbon dioxide. “Bengaluru has potential to have such buses. It can be integrated into the smart city policy if the city is selected as a smart city,” he said. He added that the buses will have the same speed as other vehicles.
However, BMTC is not convinced with the proposal. B R Krishnaiah Shetty, BMTC Chief Mechanical Engineer, told Express that they had received the proposal for electric buses. “The cost of each bus would be around `3 crore. We will also need to invest extra for the grid infrastructure,” he said.
BMTC buses travel at least 220km daily. “When you can’t charge a mobile phone in 15 seconds, how can we expect a bus to be charged within such a short time? We are not aware of the technology. We can’t say anything now,” he said.