Bengaluru: Directorate of urban land transport (DULT) in collaboration with the civic body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions Ltd (a manufacturer of electric vehicles) has started a test bed to assess implications, logistical and operational issues for use of electric vehicles in solid waste collection.
The pilot project will be carried out in Block 19 and Block 21 of Ward no.119 (Dharmaraya Swamy Temple) in municipal limits for a period of three months (October-January). Officials in the DULT said that before introduction of a fleet of electric vehicles in the solid waste management (SWM) sector, it was imperative to study aspects like route planning, operational hours, requirement of additional infrastructure like charging stations and training of manpower.
BBMP currently operates approximately 5,279 auto tippers, which run on diesel fuel across 198 wards of the city.
“The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions Limited has provided two vehicles at no cost for this initiative while BBMP has set up the charging infrastructure. The pilot will provide data to extrapolate the impact of this change on the costs and service levels. It will also provide recommendations for setting up an operational mechanism before introducing a fleet of electric auto-tippers. The data analysis will help in making informed decisions prior to scaling up the electrification process,” DULT said in a statement.
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V Manjula, DULT commissioner said, “The DULT is pleased to implement this test bed in collaboration with BBMP and M/s Kinetic Green. This is in line with the DULT’s mandate to promote clean and green transport modes for moving people and goods in our cities. The outcomes of the test bed could yield valuable insights to all stakeholders for planning and implementing a transition to electric vehicles in solid waste management. We are thankful to M/s Kinetic Green for readily participating in this test bed.”
Harish Kumar, special commissioner, solid waste management cell, BBMP, stated, “BBMP hopes to gain a better understanding of logistic and operational aspects of introducing electrical vehicles in solid waste management through this test bed.”
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Parashuram Shinnalkar, joint commissioner, SWM, BBMP, said, “This testbed gives an opportunity to all those involved with solid waste management including the BBMP officials, contractors and drivers of solid waste management vehicles- to experience and understand the impact of introducing EV (electric vehicles) fleet in SWM.”
Sulajja Firodia Motwani, founder and CEO, Kinetic Green, said, “Kinetic, with its great legacy of over 50 years, has always strived towards nation building. Through its electric 3W designed for Waste Collection, Kinetic Green intends to further the cause of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’- in a green way! Developed on our proprietary and advanced L5 platform, our E3W (electric three wheeler), with a running cost of less than a rupee per kilometer, is 100 percent pollution free and noise free; and is well suited for waste collection among many other applications.”
