Project on the anvil to convert old diesel-powered KSRTC buses into e-buses
Old diesel-powered buses of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will be converted into electric buses under a joint project of the transport utility, the Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ANERT) and Toshiba.
Quick charging
What is special about this initiative is that the buses will be fitted with lithium-titanium-oxide (LTO) batteries which can be charged in 10 to 20 minutes using pantograph charging systems during stopovers at bus stations. The buses will be equipped with rooftop charging receivers that facilitate overhead charging using pantograph arms.
The project will see the engines, gearbox and transmission systems of KSRTC buses older than five years replaced with battery, battery management system (BMS) and Motor Control Unit (MCU). 'Toshiba will be supplying the battery. As the buses will use a quick-charging system, passengers need not be kept waiting,' ANERT director Narendra Nath Veluri told The Hindu.
Pilot project
Under a pilot project, three buses will undergo conversion with a power train system comprising a 200 kW Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) and the 100 to 150 kWh LTO battery.
In the initial phase, the buses will ply on the Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam route and the Thiruvananthapuram-Kottarakkara route. The pantograph charging facility will be installed in select bus stations on the route such as Kayamkulam. But a decision is yet to be finalised on this point, Mr. Veluri said.
Lithium ferro-phosphate (LFP) batteries commonly used in electric vehicles take one to four hours to be fully charged.
Emission control
The Kerala State Action Plan on Climate Change 2023-2030 notes that Kerala has around 1.3 lakh buses, both government and privately-owned, and the current growth rate is as low as 1.5%. 'At this rate, Kerala is estimated to have 1.5 lakh buses by 2030, including private buses. Hence there is scope for the introduction of e-buses that can bring down emissions remarkably,' the action plan says.
The 14th Five Year Plan of the State envisages improving the efficiency of public transportation by modernising the KSRTC's bus fleet with energy-efficient buses with LNG/CNG and e-buses.
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