While electronic mobility and transport decarbonization are growing in importance, how feasible schools replace their diesel bus fleets with electric buses?
The Energy Management Center – Kerala (EMC), an agency of the State Energy Department, has launched an impulse for cleaner and green school buses in collaboration with the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Politics (CSTEP), a panel of experts. The initiative aims to encourage and allow schools to gradually transition from their bus fleets to electric buses.
“We are piloting the initiative in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. We have celebrated interested parties with 30 or 40 schools in Thiruvananthapuram. Soon, we will celebrate a similar program for Kochi schools. Electric school buses are safer for children from a medical care perspective and are more green, ”said EMC director R. Harikumar, Saturday in the parallel lines of the Second International Energy Festival of Kerala (IEFK 2025) Under the police, Thycaud, here.
“Electrizing school buses in Kerala”, a handbook prepared by EMC and CSTEP describes the advantages and challenges for schools to make change to electronic businesses.
Compared to buses with diesel, electronic buses, which have zero exhaust tube emissions, do not represent health risks for children such as pollution or harmful fumes. As children inhale more air by kg of body weight, they also tend to absorb more pollutants than adults.
From the perspective of operating costs, electronic buses are economical that diesel buses, since they incur ₹ 5- ₹ 10 per km compared to ₹ 12- ₹ 20 for diesel buses, according to CSTEP.
That said, schools would also face challenges in the form of high-cost of buses, investment in collection infrastructure, the limited range of batteries and the maintenance of E-Bus fleets. While these are significant and real challenges, EMC and CSTEP are using their campaign to plant the seed of an idea that can benefit local schools and long -term communities.
The transition to electronic buses requires good planning, and schools with buses are encouraged to do so gradually, said Spurthi Ravuri, research scientist (strategic studies), CSTEP. “Our intention is to burst myths with respect to electric school buses and raise awareness among schools,” Ravuri said.
Planning implies adoption in electronic buses, identification of routes and cargo schedules. “Among the existing routes, the school can identify the feasible for electronic bus operations based on the electronic buses (80-120 km),” says Book Hand. Schools can also take advantage of solar energy and reduction of diurnal electricity tariffs to load when buses are not in operation.
In addition to using their own funds to buy buses, schools can also use other financing options, such as bank loans with attractive interest rates for green vehicles, RSE funds or MP/MLA funds search, according to the two agencies.
Published – February 8, 2025 08:52 pm ist
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