The Indian Institute of Technology (New Delhi, India) has developed an electric bus that can be a boon for the country's polluted cities and towns dependent on diesel-run public transport. The battery-operated bus can carry about 150 people at a top speed of 65 kmph and cover about 160 km at one go. The vehicle runs free of vibration, noise and heat.
The computer-regulated engine of the bus works through a motor that draws power from a battery. An onboard charger that charges the battery runs on diesel. When operated without an onboard charger, it is called a zero-emission vehicle. However, the onboard charger operates at the minimum specific fuel consumption point (of the engine) and therefore has negligible emission. The battery bus has a life of 25 years,
The governments of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi have shown interest in procuring the vehicle. Recently, the West Bengal government asked for 20 buses, but the final paper work is yet to take place.