The prototype of the first electric bus has reached the national capital, informed Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot. “Congrats Delhi! After a long wait, the prototype of DTC’s first 100 percent Electric bus has reached Delhi!,” the Minister tweeted along with the pictures of the new buses. He further said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will soon flag off a new fleet of electric buses.

Recently in an interview, Gahlot had declared that Delhi will have its first fleet of 300 buses by January 2022. “As far as the CNG buses are concerned, the Delhi government will order 800 Compressed Natural Gas buses in two batches — 450 in the first and 350 in the second. Post that, we will procure only electric buses for public transport in the future,” he said then.

The Minister further informed that the government has also floated tenders for the 100 charging stations and 100 more will follow in the second lot. “These are apart from the existing 100-plus charging stations in various locations of Delhi,” Gahlot said, adding other than that DTC is planning to set up such stations at Dwarka sector-8, Dwarka sector 2 depot, Mehrauli terminal, Nehru Place Terminal, Okhla CW-II, Sukhdev Vihar depot, and Kalkaji depot.

In the next one year, Delhi will have charging stations within every three km, he promised. As the large number of vehicles plying on Delhi roads are said to be one of the main contributors of pollution in the city, the electric buses are expected to reduce the burden of pollution in the national capital which is currently reeling under severe levels of air quality index.