Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged off 150 electric buses manufactured by Olectra for public transport in Pune.
He also inaugurated a state-of-the-art electric bus depot and charging station in Baner during the program. PM Modi has also appealed to the nation to encourage electric mobility to avoid diesel hikes and reduce carbon emissions.
With the addition of new 150 electric buses, the citizens of Pune city will experience air-conditioned, noiseless commuting. These will reduce the carbon dioxide emissions significantly in the city, as per an official statement by Olectra.
It is found that urban public transportation is one of the primary causes of pollution across the world. The buses are 100 per cent electric, zero-emission and have several safety features.
It also said that Olectra manufactured state-of-the-art electric buses are able to serve efficiently in multiple cities like Surat, Goa, Silvassa, Dehradun, Mumbai, Pune and Surat etc. As the response from the commuters in multiple cities is exuberant, the respective transport organisations are willing to expand the electric bus fleet.
While announcing the deployment of the buses, Olectra Greentech Limited Chairman and Managing Director KV Pradeep said, "Olectra is proud to add another 150 fleets of electric buses in Pune city to the current fleet of 150 buses. Our buses would now contribute to preserving the rich heritage of Pune city."
"We are committed to its efforts to reduce the pollution levels, both sound pollution and carbon emissions through an efficient Electric Public Transport System. Our Electric buses have already proved their reliability and efficiency, as it has been successfully operated over 2 crore kilometres in Pune," he added.
Describing the features of these buses, it stated that these 12-meter AC buses have a seating capacity of 33+D and the electronically controlled air suspension ensures a comfortable ride.
The buses are equipped with CCTV cameras to ensure the safety of the commuters, an Emergency button and USB Sockets for each seat. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery installed in the bus enables it to travel around 200 km on a single charge, based on traffic and passenger load conditions, it said.
The technologically advanced bus has a regenerative braking system which allows the bus to recover part of the kinetic energy lost in braking. The high-power AC and DC charging system enable the battery to recharge in three to four hours fully, it added.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister also inaugurated a 12 km stretch of the Pune Metro Rail Project in the city.
( With inputs from ANI )
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