newsjockey

If everything goes as planned, Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) will become the first place in Mumbai and country to have battery powered public bus service. Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is planning to start battery power bus service between Bandra and Kurla point.

A MMRDA official on the condition of anonymity said, “We are looking for better technology and suppliers for the buses. We need buses that can run 200 km per charge.”

There are buses that run 40 km per charge, but to use it in public transport, we need higher range and better quality of bus, he added.

MMRDA is also looking for operators and investors for this project, as BEST has managed to get a private company to give then 50 world class Volvo buses in return of advertising revenue, it is learnt.

Battery power buses will have zero carbon emissions, but MMRDA is scouting for better performance buses that can make the service viable in the city with the output they are looking for.

However, the project is in the preliminary stage and looking after all the aspect this will be implemented all across the city.

“Main concern is that battery-run buses have less power (torque), it is still in the trail phase across many countries worldwide. However, it is good for environment as it will reduce carbon emissions,” said Rajesh Gangar, transport expert.

Currently, nowhere in the country battery power buses are used as public transport. Few buses are used in Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus in Powai area of Mumbai and some campus across the country.

This is the first time in India any government agency is studying to implement this for general public.

Battery-powered buses make less noise on road. It is also cheaper and easier to maintain, as they require no tune-ups or oil changes, and typically only take between six and eight hours to fully recharge. These buses are more energy-efficient than vehicles that employ traditional internal combustion engines.

Their unique feature is an innovative regenerative braking system that uses the motor as a generator to return as much as half of the vehicle’s kinetic energy to the batteries each time the brakes are used.

It is used in many foreign countries, such as China, US, Hong Kong, Germany, UK, Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Spain and under test in Switzerland since April 2010.