Preeja Prasad By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Green may be a great concept, but adopting it appears to be a challenge for Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). For, it is facing difficulties in its transition to electric buses.

While the tender process is in progress for 350 e-buses, a proposal for an additional 1,500 buses and 56 mini-buses has also come into the picture.

The BMTC has identified four depots — Hebbal, HSR Layout, Whitefield and K R Puram - which can accommodate charging stations with around 15 units to charge the vehicles. Three of the depots have been finalised and the survey is being carried out for the fourth. A final report is expected on Monday.

“We had to improvise due to certain issues such as parking area, bus movement and cleaning,” said a BMTC officer.

Buses will be kept for charging overnight and they are expected to run a good 200 km. The depots, though lack proper facilities, are shortlisted mainly for 300 e-buses. However, with a new target set to induct 7,000 e-buses in the next five years, the corporation has no plans to bring in an e-depot. The charging stations which were supposed to come up in October have also been delayed and it will take another 20 days for the tenders to be ready, sources said.

C K Sreenath, deputy general manager, Smart Grid and Electric Vehicles, Bescom, said the quick charging units will only take 2.5 hours to fully charge the buses and it will take time for their installation. “It could take two months for installation. But that is based on a joint inspection we had with BMTC in Hebbal depot 1.5 months back,” he said.

While BMTC managing director denies any such challenges, its chairperson Nandiesha Reddy admits there is an issue currently. Reddy, however says, “BMTC will expand charging stations to most depots in the city, but it will be in a phased manner and will take time”.