Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is planning to run electric buses in urban areas to curb environmental pollution.
Science & Technology Minister Ashok Panda told the Assembly on Saturday that electric buses will be put into service in a 100-km radius covering the cities of Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri. He said an MoU on electric public transportation will be signed soon.
Apart from a push in the recent Union Budget, electric vehicles, particularly buses, are starting to become popular in the country. Tata Motors, Olectra – BYD, Eicher Motors and JBM Solaris are a few makers of electric buses in India.
Electric buses have zero emissions and can save 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide & 350,000 litres of diesel over 10 years of operation, according to JBM Solaris Electric Vehicle Ltd. Globally, China leads the electric vehicle market and the mega-city of Shenzen is the first 100 per cent electric bus city with more than 16,500 electric buses plying on its roads.
Here is a list of Indian cities where electric buses are plying:
- Hyderabad
- Lucknow
- New Delhi
- Mumbai
- Sabarimala
- Manali
- Dehradun
- Kolkata
