The Economic Times , Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Correspondent : BK Chandrashekhar

BENGALURU: Despite access to private vehicles, there is still a large portion of the city that relies on public transport and non¬motorised mobility. Public transport will and should continue to be an integral part of movement in Bengaluru. BMTC transports over 52 lakh people daily with a fleet of 6,500 buses ¬ a commendable effort for any transport corporation. The working population in the IT and related sectors expects a higher level of service to enable transition from private vehicles to buses. BMTC has responded to this by introducing charter services and a fleet of Volvo for high comfort travel. What is now required are high¬impact public transit solutions that can sustain the future demand for mobility and leave a green footprint in the process. The increase both in the vehicle population and air pollution justifies the use of electric buses. They offer multiple technical, environmental and socio¬economic advantages over diesel and CNG buses; deliver superior torque¬topower output at low speeds that is ideal for city travel; enable regenerative braking and experience lower wear and tear due to the absence of a mechanical drive train. Crucially, from the public health point, electric buses have zero tailpipe emissions and 30% lower noise levels. In order to accelerate electric mobility, the Government of India earlier this year launched the FAME scheme (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid&) Electric Vehicles) under the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan ( NEMMP) 2020. Electric mobility is also identified as a key mitigation strategy in India's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) submitted in the run¬up to the recently concluded Paris Climate Conference. The Paris agreement visualises such domestic action as well as international climate finance and technology transfer. Electric buses face two key implantation challenges but both are surmountable: Lack of an ecosystem for electric mobility and high upfront capital cost. Given its decisive advantages, the two issues can be overcome by policy support, especially in the initial stages of its implementation. This is an appropriate moment for the Karnataka government to demonstrate leadership on electric mobility. It should induct electric vehicles in the fleet of government vehicles to increase awareness, expand product range and demonstrate commitment. Also, with one of the largest intra¬city public transport networks, BMTC can emerge as a significant market for original equipment manufacturers in the near future. By replacing around 1,000 old BSI and BS II buses from the fleet, particulate matter emissions from the fleet can be reduced by around 30%. In fact, the corporation piloted an electric bus in 2014 for over three months with positive result

SOURCE : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/heres-an-electric-alternative-to-control-pollution-in-bengaluru/articleshow/50559209.cms?prtpage=1