The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday introduced air-conditioned electric buses in the state capital, Lucknow. The move is aimed to reduce the carbon emission and provide pollution-free environment.
Electric buses were introduced on the roads across Lucknow yesterday
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 17, 2021
"We have introduced 40 electric buses till now in the state capital. Many more to come," Ashutosh Tandon, UP Cabinet Minister said pic.twitter.com/aBHqh55Kkt
40 buses were introduced on Tuesday. UP Cabinet Minister Ashutosh Tandon added that more buses will be added to the fleet in coming days. The charging stations for these buses are still under construction. The minister added that the use of electric buses for public transport will ensure enhanced infrastructure of local transport system.
Earlier, the government had said that as many as 350 electric buses will be plying on roads across six cities: Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj and Jhansi. EverSource Capital promoted GreenCell Mobility Pvt Ltd has said that it is investing Rs 400 crore in a consortium to deploy the buses. Of the 350 buses, Lucknow and Kanpur will each get 100 buses. Varanasi and Prayagraj will both get 50 buses each, while, Jhansi and Gorakhpur will be getting 25 buses each. These buses will likely travel about 63,000 kms annually, thereby ensuring zero tailpipe emissions of CO2 equivalent to about 22,000 tonnes each year.
Yogi Sarkar gives impetus to upcoming industry
Earlier this year, OpIndia had reported how the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said that electric vehicles will be given precedence over vehicles that run on diesel and petrol. He also suggested an exemption in registration fees of electric vehicles and road tax to encourage its use. With an intention to encourage investment in the emerging EV sector, Yogi Adityanath sought to further liberalise the Uttar Pradesh Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Policy of 2019.
Further, Uttar Pradesh government is also planning to establish a centre of excellence for research, development, testing and certification of EV. It will also provide incentives under the industrial park scheme to private electric vehicle parks.
Modi govt bets big on e-vehicles
The Narendra Modi government at Centre has been aggressively promoting e-vehicles. Earlier this year, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, while answering a question on large-scale production of EVs in India, said that many small companies are already manufacturing e-bikes and e-scooters in Uttar Pradesh and other states. American electric car giant Tesla, too, opened its office in Bengaluru and is hopeful of starting operations soon.
