UDUPI: The much-touted entry of electric buses in Karnataka, beginning through the first batch of 300 e-buses joining the fleet of BMTC in Bengaluru by mid of February, may be extended to other districts too. Transport Minister Laxman Savadi who has shown much interest in this initiative said in Udupi on Sunday that if the outcome of the operation in Bengaluru is satisfying, then the government may optimize the operation of electric buses on inter-district routes too connecting major cities in the state.
Savadi said that BMTC is taking 300 e-buses on lease under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India (FAME) scheme of the central government. ‘‘To prevent ourselves from facing the burden of increasing prices of petrol and diesel, we should not be over-dependent on non-renewable fuels like petrol and diesel. We should use more and more electric vehicles to obtain benefits like road tax exemption. The union government has been encouraging the sugar factories across the country to produce ethanol which can be blended with petrol and diesel. The use of 20 percent ethanol-blended petrol is also one way to face the future that appears challenging on the energy front. These are all part of the efforts by the government to make sure that sustainable transportation is adopted, Deputy CM said.
He told TNIE that e-buses to be introduced in Bengaluru will be capable of running 200 to 250 kilometres in a single charge. ‘‘Battery charging points will be opened at petrol bunks, while private players will be also encouraged to open such turbocharging points’’ he said. Savadi added that though the cost of one electric bus is estimated at Rs 2 crore, the central government is providing a subsidy of Rs 55 lakh per bus, and the state government will avail Rs 33.33 lakh subsidy per bus. The lessee will give BMTC a fixed amount of money per kilometer of bus operated as per the lease agreement. So it will be an attractive proposal, he said.