BENGALURU: Karnataka has now got 400 electric buses out of which 300 are for Bengaluru itself as has been sanctioned by the centre to encourage environment-friendly public transportation.
Under Phase II of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (Fame) in India scheme, the Union ministry of heavy industries and public enterprises sanctioned 5,595 electric buses to 64 cities for intra-city and inter-city operations.
Maharashtra received the maximum number of electric buses — 725 — for intra-city operations, followed by Uttar Pradesh (600), Gujarat (550) and Tamil Nadu (525).
In Karnataka, Bengaluru will get 300 electric buses and Hubli-Dharwad, 50. Similarly, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will get 50 for inter-city short-haul operations. However, shortage of charging infrastructure, capacity of batteries and maintenance may pose a challenge.
Electric buses can travel up to 200km when fully charged. Though the initial cost is high, their maintenance and operational costs are much lower than diesel-run buses.
Source: Times of India