Leading up to the G20 summit, Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are set to inaugurate a fleet of 400 electric buses on September 5, officials said. The ceremony will also be attended by Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot.
Delhi is gearing up to host the G20 summit from September 9 to 10. Currently, there are already 400 operational electric buses thanks to the Centre-backed Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) II Scheme.
In a bid to embrace cleaner transport solutions, the city administration has contracted for the inclusion of 1,500 electric buses into the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) fleet. Among these, 921 buses are supported by the FAME II Scheme under the National Automotive Board (NAB) of the Ministry of Heavy Industries.
The FAME II Scheme, backed by the government, is driving the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) by aiming to curtail reliance on fossil fuels and mitigate urban pollution. It also strives to establish global-scale manufacturing capabilities for batteries and EVs.
By introducing EVs into its transportation mix, Delhi aims to transition towards e-mobility, aspiring to convert 80 percent of the DTC’s fleet into electric vehicles, as highlighted by officials.(With inputs from PTI)
