Many States opt for Electric Buses under FAME India Program

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Author – Nithish S

State transport corporations of New Delhi, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh have planned to introduce a huge fleet of electric buses in their respective states within a few years. This new proposal has been made under the Faster Adoption & Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) Program.

The Ministry of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises is administering the FAME India Scheme since April 2015 to promote faster adoption of electric/hybrid vehicles in India. These E-vehicles would be introduced with the main aim to address the twin issues of increasing fuel prices and switching over to new cleaner sources of energy. At present, Phase-II of the FAME India Scheme is being implemented for a period of 3 years from 1 April 2019 with a budgetary support of INR10,000 crore.

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has proposed to deploy 350 electric buses in five cities namely Vijayawada, Vizag, Tirupati, Kakinada and Amaravati. The first phase of this project is estimated to cost ₹746 crores with each bus costing ₹2.18 crores. The Andhra Pradesh government has taken up this new project as an effective measure to reduce fuel costs and to create awareness about fuel-saving among the public.

Meanwhile, Delhi Government has ordered the Delhi Transport Corporation to introduce a strong fleet of 2,000 electric buses under the FAME India program. Of these, 900 buses would be used for city services, while 100 buses will be used for interstate services. The charging stations for these electric buses are expected to be installed in phases across the city within 2 years.

Kerala has also set an ambitious plan under which the state government aims to bring in 1 million electric vehicles under the FAME India program. These will include 200,000 two-wheelers, 50,000 three-wheelers, 3,000 buses, 1,000 goods carriers and 100 ferries. The government will build charging infrastructure for the e-vehicles in collaboration with NTPC and Energy Efficient Services Limited. Under the new EV policy, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation and Kerala Automobiles Limited have partnered with a Swiss electric bus manufacturer named HESS to manufacture 8,000 e-rickshaws and e-buses.

Date: 20.07.2019 | Source: Mercom India & ET Energyworld

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