Mumbai gets hi-tech electric buses

Mumbai, Nov 10 :  The Bombay Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) on Friday acquired four high-tech eco-friendly electric buses, which will be deployed on its Mumbai suburban sectors, officials said here.

The 31-seater buses, manufactured by Goldstone Infratech, can run upto 200 km on a single charge achieving speeds of 70 kmph.

Maharashtra becomes the second state after Himachal Pradesh, where these buses are running successfully on the high-altitude Manali-Rohtang Pass route, said BEST Chairman Anil Kokil.

He said BEST has ordered six buses of which four were delivered on Friday and the remaining two will join its fleet soon.

Compared to the regular diesel buses costing Rs 80 lakh each, these electric buses cost more than double, Rs 167 lakh each.

However, it would offer excellent savings in operations at Rs 8 per km, compared to Rs 20 per km for diesel and Rs 15 per km for its CNG buses.

Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray, who launched the buses in the evening, said that the new electric buses will be environmentally-friendly with zero emission compared to 48,000 kg carbon and other gases emitted by buses using conventional fuels.

Powered by a set of four Lithium Ion Batteries, it consumes approximately 0.75 watt per km, and with no gear box or shafts or an internal combustion engine, the buses are totally noise-free offering a comfortable ride.

For the commuters, there are six mobile chargers on board, surveillance cameras, a public address system, electric route and destination display and other facilities.