‘So to Speak’ with Dhiyanesh Ravichandran
Looking back and ahead is what the start of the new year is for. The year 2018 was a big one for e-buses in India, spelling out loud that buses are key to the EV revolution in the coming years.
As 2018 slips by, it’s hard not to ponder over a pivotal trend that became quite outspoken in the Indian CV industry last year – the electrification of buses. Although the ‘e’-talks gained traction in the auto town and policy circles since half a decade, last year saw the onus culminating on the OEMs to join the exotic ‘electric club’ by rolling out EV prototypes and dummy-run products, essentially seen as a way of jump-starting electric mobility in the country.
The Auto Expo 2018 – Motor Show stood as a testimony, with all leading manufacturers displaying their battery-electric buses, assuring the market that both the technology and products are ready. Moving beyond State-run urban transit, automakers even came up with electric buses for inter-city and private fleet applications. The year also saw a multitude of passenger SCVs going electric, while the only successful EV clan so far – the e-rickshaws – entered the streets of new towns and cities last year. Despite their improving affordability and market demand, e-rickshaws and mini EVs still cater to a minuscule share of transportation needs in the country.
Since city corporations and State agencies are under enormous public (and judicial) pressure to combat air pollution, making State-owned bus fleets emission-free is all they can suggest for now, as throttling the number of private vehicles in our cities is bound to open up a pandora’s box in elite circles! This approach buys those responsible a great deal of time, while all trash talks by politicians on inducting e-buses en masse has always been fancied as exotic by media and public.
Yet, the silver lining of this superfluous e-bus mania among State agencies is the foreseeable demand base for battery-electric buses in the near future, which is indeed motivating all OEMs and new start-ups to invest on e-bus projects and battery technologies, unlike the case for e-bikes and battery cars. And this can work for the best, as cities (urban transportation) and bus fleet are the right way to start the EV revolution.
Let me explain why. Whether we realise or not, buses are the workhorses a majority of Indians rely on for everyday commute, especially in towns and cities. Their practicality and access to masses is unparalleled. As confirmed by repeated researches, the demand for buses continues to increase year by year, already augmented by poor fleet per population ratio, no matter whatever new transit system gets added to the cities’ infrastructure. Further, since buses boast the absolute lowest CO2 emissions per passenger kilometre, promoting clean bus transport can offset the excesses of private cars emission-wise and reduce road congestion.
Also, the operational nature of bus fleets in India favour introduction of new technologies, their enormous institutional and human resource base can be groomed for new scenario. Unlike private businesses, STUs are welfare-oriented. With State subsidies, they don’t have to worry about profit margins, and absolve the higher upfront cost of e-buses, as their ‘ends’ of promoting sustainable mobility would justify the ‘means’.
Lastly, electrifying buses could also help the auto industry to move away from fossil fuels in CVs. We have seen in the past that tech developments happening in buses flow to trucks as well, owing to common aggregates. Thus, the progression of cleaner buses by OEMs is closely related to the evolution of zero-emission trucks in the years to come.
Nevertheless, this opportunity of EV revolution through buses can never happen without an informed vision set by the government. All we have seen so far in India is just higgledy-piggledy documents and ministerial statements, lacking informed insights and fool-proof modalities to achieve the end goals. Take for instance California’s Clean Transit rule voted last month that mandates the State’s public transit agencies to build zero-emissions bus fleets by 2040. Indian cities need such eclectic and pragmatic policy framework so as to make this change happen. With an election year ahead of us, any radical shift in e-bus policy is unlikely to happen in 2019. But we should still hope for the best, because that’s what new year fuss is all about!