E-Paper
PMPML to construct mega charging station for e-buses at Manjri depot
The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) authorities will be constructing a dedicated mega charging station at its Manjri –Budruk-Shewalewadi depot to cater to the rising demand of electric buses in the near future
The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) authorities will be constructing a dedicated mega charging station at its Manjri –Budruk-Shewalewadi depot to cater to the rising demand of electric buses in the near future.
The PMPML will be adding a number of e-buses to its fleet in the next few months which has prompted them to start the facility. According to the PMPML authorities, the number of e-bus services will be going up as more buses are being inducted in the fleet.
Currently, the charging station is situated in Bhekrainagar in Phursungi which has a limited capacity but a mega charging station will be set up at Manjri depot. MLA Chetan Tupe who has been spearheading the project said that even private vehicles or buses can get their batteries charged at the said station which will have sufficient capacity to accommodate a number of buses on a daily basis.
MLA Tupe, PMPML officials including Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) authorities have conducted a site inspection and a feasibility report has been submitted to the administration. Funds from the deputy chief minister’s office including the local MLA fund will be spent for the construction of the state-of-the-art charging station which will charge the bus batteries in real time.
MLA Tupe said, “PMPML president Rajendra Jagtap had briefed us about the project where he has said that the existing facility at Bhekrainagar is limited and with the introduction of new buses, a new set up will be required. We have conducted a visit and all the modalities have been worked out. MLA Sanjay Jagtap has also taken serious efforts towards this project which will be started soon.”
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) last week had proposed 15 new charging stations in an initiative aimed at promoting electric vehicles (EV) in the city in addition to the existing station used for the public transport bus service. The PMPML, a public transport bus service, has a fleet of 2,431 buses, and has already inducted 150 e-buses in 2019. It is in process of procuring an additional 500 e-buses through the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of EV (FAME) scheme of the union government.
The new buses will arrive by December 2021 and will be immediately inducted in the fleet .The civic body has made the charging station at Bhekrainagar operational for the 150 e-buses of PMPML wherein 90 buses get charged in Bhekrai Nagar Also, the PMPML is planning to allow private e-vehicles to use the charging stations set up in the PMPML depots. As of March 2021, Pune 156 e-buses, 398 e-four-wheelers, 239-e-three wheelers and 3,264 e-two-wheelers are commuting on the city roads.
The PMPML efforts are aimed at putting the city in the top-notch ranking of the all India smart city project.
