Edappadi K Palanisamy’s wish list to PM Narendra Modi includes electric buses for Chennai
P Oppili | TNN | Updated: Jan 29, 2019, 06:29 IST
CHENNAI: A proposal to purchase 500 electric buses for Chennai city is among the wish list presented by chief minister Edappadi K Palanisamy to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Madurai on Sunday when the foundation for the AIIMS centre was laid. All the projects, 11 of which are related to climate change, are to be funded by the Centre.
A senior transport department official said the Centre promised to provide financial assistance for the electric bus project and that a proposal was created and submitted.
The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has identified the routes along which it proposes to operate the buses as well as the depots where the recharging facilities would be set up. Talks are on with Tangedco which is demanding exorbitant rates to provide charging points, the official said. A bus can be operated for at least 250 km before it is re-charged. Charging points fixed in depots can allow the buses to be operated throughout the day without much difficulty. There is also a battery-swapping model, he said.
While electric buses made by Chinese companies mostly ply in many cities across the world, including on some routes in Bengaluru, a couple of European companies have begun manufacturing , modifying and improvising on the technology used by Chinese buses.
In June 2017, an electric bus was priced at Rs 2.50 crore. The price later came down to Rs 1 crore later. A couple of months ago it further dipped and is now expected to be sold for Rs 50 lakh. .
An electric bus, the official said, apart from reducing pollution levels will also reduce the fuel cost for the transport corporation concerned. Government-owned transport corporations in the state which incur a lot of expenses in terms of filling fuel for the vehicles can hope to cut down on their costs with such buses, he said. By year-end, Chennaiites may get a chance to travel by these environment-friendly buses if things go according to plan, the official said.
A senior transport department official said the Centre promised to provide financial assistance for the electric bus project and that a proposal was created and submitted.
The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has identified the routes along which it proposes to operate the buses as well as the depots where the recharging facilities would be set up. Talks are on with Tangedco which is demanding exorbitant rates to provide charging points, the official said. A bus can be operated for at least 250 km before it is re-charged. Charging points fixed in depots can allow the buses to be operated throughout the day without much difficulty. There is also a battery-swapping model, he said.
While electric buses made by Chinese companies mostly ply in many cities across the world, including on some routes in Bengaluru, a couple of European companies have begun manufacturing , modifying and improvising on the technology used by Chinese buses.
In June 2017, an electric bus was priced at Rs 2.50 crore. The price later came down to Rs 1 crore later. A couple of months ago it further dipped and is now expected to be sold for Rs 50 lakh. .
An electric bus, the official said, apart from reducing pollution levels will also reduce the fuel cost for the transport corporation concerned. Government-owned transport corporations in the state which incur a lot of expenses in terms of filling fuel for the vehicles can hope to cut down on their costs with such buses, he said. By year-end, Chennaiites may get a chance to travel by these environment-friendly buses if things go according to plan, the official said.
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