Headline: Gadkari plans international loan for electric buses
PTI
Kolkata
Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said international agencies were keen to fund for green electric buses and the government would soon deploy 10 buses on a pilot basis.
“We will soon deploy 10 electric buses on a trial basis with an indigenous battery technology developed in association with ISRO. The new battery will cost just Rs 5 lakh against Rs 55 lakh for imported ones,” Gadkari said on the sidelines of the Bharat Chamber of Commerce AGM.
He said that if the trials proved successful, the government would replace the 1.5 lakh state buses with electric buses.
In this regard international agencies like KfW group was keen to fund such a green initiative.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has already developed lithium ion battery for use in satellites and in collaboration with it, the work has started on testing these batteries to find out what modifications are needed to use them for automobile, he says.
Gadkari said the government was working in promoting ethanol and standards for bio-fuels was also under way.
He also emphasised to promote waterways to reduce emission.
However, at the same time he said 90 per cent of the hurdles new for road projects worth Rs 3.8 lakh crore had been removed.
Quote: We will soon deploy 10 electric buses on a trial basis with an indigenous battery technology developed in association with ISRO. The new battery will cost just Rs 5 lakh against Rs 55 lakh for imported ones - Nitin Gadkari
