View Press Release: WRI India | WRI Cities India

Electric bus (e-bus) adoption is fast gaining traction in India with multiple cities working to electrify their bus-based public transport systems. This is aligned with the Government of India's initiative to aggregate e-bus demand, from the nine largest Indian cities, under the ambit of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India (FAME) scheme, Phase – II, through the ongoing Grand Challenge for Deployment of e-Buses.

e-Sawari: India Electric Bus Coalition aims to facilitate peer-to-peer learning between different stakeholders in the e-bus ecosystem with the intent of addressing challenges and tapping into opportunities.

This is the first in a series of three closed-door in-person focus group discussions covering the following aspects:

Challenges and opportunities related to e-bus procurement and operations in Indian cities

• What are certain challenges that cities face while provisioning power at e-bus depots?
• Is it possible for transit agencies to explore opportunities for development of public charging infrastructure?
• How can procurement tenders be structured to allow for fair comparisons between various battery chemistries, chassis types, charging infrastructure options, and more?
• How can a transit agency manage technology obsolescence risks and plan accordingly?

Supply chain capacities and constraints for meeting expected e-bus demand

• What are the strategies and plans that OEMs are expected to implement, in order to meet the expected e-bus demand?
• Are there any recent or imminent technological developments that transit agencies must take note of, to better plan their fleet augmentation and replacement strategies?
• Which potential supply chain-related roadblocks could impact e-bus deployment in Indian cities?
• Do there exist any challenges in a scenario wherein a transit agency contracts with multiple operators

Funding and financing options for e-bus deployment by public transit agencies

• How can different funding options be leveraged for a transition to electric buses, from multilateral/ bilateral donors, non-banking financial corporations, banks, green equity or debt funds, etc.? How can these funds be accessed by public transit agencies, or state and central stakeholders?
• How can risk allocation ensure dilution of risks across various stakeholders in order to enhance the bankability of e-bus-related projects, and what role can watertight agreements play in such a practice?
• What are some risk mitigation strategies that can reduce pressure on financing agencies to support electric bus procurement? Is it possible to map and allocate risks differently across the project timeline?

SPEAKERS

• Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog (TBD)
• Arun Goel, Secretary, DHI (TBD)
• Dr OP Agarwal, CEO, WRI India
• Sudhendu J. Sinha, Adviser – Electric Mobility and Infrastructure Connectivity, NITI Aayog (TBD)
• Ashish Kundra, Principal Secretary (Transport), Government of NCT of Delhi (TBD)
• Randheer Singh, Director – Electric Mobility, NITI Aayog (TBD)
• Lokesh Chandra IAS, GM, Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (TBD)
• VC Sajjanar IPS, MD, Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TBD)
• Mukesh Kumar IAS, Municipal Commissioner, Ahmedabad (TBD)
• Neeraj Semwal IAS, MD, Delhi Transport Corporation (TBD)
• V. Anbukumar IAS, MD, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (TBD)
• Banchhanidhi Pani IAS, Municipal Commissioner, Surat Municipal Corporation (TBD)
• Rajanvir Singh Kapur IAS, MD, West Bengal Transport Corporation (TBD)
• Laxminarayan Mishra IAS, CMD, Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (TBD)
• Anbu Abraham, MD, Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Chennai) (TBD)
• Mahua Acharya, CEO, Convergence Energy, EESL (TBD)
• P V Krishna Reddy. MD, Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Ltd. (TBD)
• Girish Wagh, ED, Tata Motors Ltd. (TBD)
• Nishant Arya, Vice Chairman, JBM Group (TBD)
• Akash Passey, President - Bus Division at VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. (TBD)
• Mahesh Babu, COO - Switch Mobility, Ashok Leyland Ltd. (TBD)
• Satish Kumar Jain, Director, Foton-PMI Electro Bus India Ltd. (TBD)
• Uday H. Khemka, Vice Chairman, SUN Group (TBD)
• Ashok K. Agarwal, MD & CEO, GreenCell Mobility Pvt. Ltd.
• Raja Parthasarathy, MD, IDFC PE (TBD)
• Christoph Kessler, Country Director, KfW Development Bank, India (TBD)
• Sujoy Bose, MD and CEO, NIIF (TBD)
• Rohit Tiku, Chief Strategy & Risk Officer, Tata Motor Finance (TBD)
• Abhishek Poddar, MD, Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (TBD)
• Gerald Ollivier, Lead Transport Specialist for India, World Bank (TBD)
• Pawan Mulukutla, Director – Clean Mobility and Energy Tech., WRI India
• Aparna Vijaykumar, Manager – Electric Mobility, WRI India