It is doubtful if the transition to electric buses is economically viable for APSRTC. Electric buses cost between ₹1.8 crore and ₹2 crore each, a heavy burden on the corporation.
Published Dec 28, 2024 | 11:07 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 28, 2024 | 11:07 AM
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is committed to phasing out diesel buses entirely by 2029. (Nikhil B/Wikimedia Commons)
The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) is aiming to switch over to electric buses to reduce vehicle emissions and maintenance costs.
APSRTC officials have drafted plans to replace all diesel buses with electric ones over the next five years.
The corporation is aiming to operate only electric buses by 2029, in consonance with the state government’s electric vehicle policy unveiled recently.
APSRTC has a fleet of 10,780 buses, including 8,272 which it owns and 2,507 hired ones. Of these, only 131 are electric buses at present; 17 are electric-diesel hybrid versions.
Under the Motor Vehicles Act, government-owned vehicles older than 15 years should be abandoned.
Over the next five years, 2,537 buses will be older than 15 years. APSRTC plans to replace them with electric buses.
Additionally, buses which have been used for a long time would be retired.
This includes AC buses that have travelled over 12 lakh km, ultra-deluxe and super-luxury buses (10 lakh km), and express and city ordinary buses (8 lakh km), which will all be replaced.
In total, 5,731 buses will be eased out.
By 2029, the APSRTC plans to acquire 1,285 rental electric buses, and 1,698 new buses between 2025-2029. There are also plans for 2,726 additional electric buses, fully phasing out diesel buses.
It is doubtful if the transition to electric buses is economically viable for APSRTC. Electric buses cost between ₹1.8 crore and ₹2 crore each, a heavy burden on the corporation.
However, officials expect the cost of electric buses to decrease by 30-40 percent in the coming years, making them more affordable.
APSRTC chairman K Narayana told South First: “Battery-operated buses will greatly reduce pollution and maintenance costs. As initial purchase cost is high, the corporation is assessing how many it can purchase and how many it may have to take on hire. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is committed to phasing out diesel buses entirely by 2029.”
Under the Prime Minister’s E-Bus Service Scheme, Andhra Pradesh has been allotted 750 electric buses on a rental basis for 11 cities.
As many as 100 buses each for Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, and Nellore, 50 buses each for Amaravati, Kadapa, Kurnool, Anantapur, Tirupati, Kakinada, and Rajamahendravaram have been allotted under the PM E-Bus Service Scheme.
Tirupati has received an additional allocation of 300 electric buses. Under this scheme, the central government provides a subsidy of Rs 35 lakh per bus directly to the bus companies.
One official said: “It is true that diesel buses contribute to pollution, However, a complete switch by APSRTC to electric buses won’t solve the problem. Electric buses have high cost and limited capacity. The government should approach this transition gradually and holistically.”
Charging stations
There is need to ensure there are adequate charging stations for the electric buses; without those, the services of APSRTC could be affected.
It is necessary to consider that even if more charging stations were made available, each electric bus may take longer to charge that the earlier diesel vehicles would take to fill.
Material intensive
Electric vehicles are also more material intensive, and each electric vehicle would require at least five times as much critical materials as a traditional vehicle. A broad range of environmental impacts will result from the increased mining that these vehicles will require.
Planning for efficient recycling
Efficient recycling systems would need to be put in place, as battery waste could cause serious environmental risks.
Supply chain troubles
Supply chain issues are being faced even by the largest brands involved in the production of electric vehicles, like Tesla.
Extra burden on grid
There should be adequate preparation to ensure that the electricity grid is capable of bearing the extra load from the additional electric vehicles.
(Edited by Rosamma Thomas)
