Kochi: With the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) all set to operate non-polluting e-buses state-wide after the ongoing Sabarimala season, its chairman Tomin J Thachankary has requested the state Electricity Regulatory Commission to provided electricity at subsidised rates.
In his letter to the Regulatory Commission Chairman, Mr. Thachankary said the tariff for electricity consumed for KSRTC charging stations be fixed in line with the e-Mobility policy of the Kerala Government.
"The normal rate of electricity for e-bus charging stations may be fixed below Rs 4.4/KW hr at par with the industrial tariff considering the pollution-free operation. The rate for off-peak hours (10 pm to 6 am) may be fixed below Rs 4 / KW hr…for charging stations of the KSRTC, so as to motivate charging in off-peak hours," the letter said.
The corporation also sought exemption of installation charges for transformers for its electric bus charging stations.
The KSRTC has procured 10 electric buses and currently deployed them in the Nilakkal-Pampa route to cater to the Sabarimala pilgrims. When the pilgrimage season concludes by January 20, the e-buses are proposed to be operated all over the state, especially in Thiruvananthapuram-Ernakulam section, by setting up charging stations in various KSRTC stations.
The electricity charges for operating e-buses in the 21-km long Pampa-Nilakkal route (10 trips each) comes to nearly Rs one lakh a month. While the operational expense of e-buses per km is Rs 48, that for the Scania/Volvo buses is Rs 80. The incorporation of e-buses is mainly aimed at mitigating air pollution. Though the procurement cost is high, nearly Rs 2.5 crore, it has other benefits like low-maintenance cost, more service life and lower operating cost per km.
