BENGALURU: College campuses in the city are slowly seeing more and more electric bikes and cars. A few are getting EV charging points for their small but growing number of students and staff using e-vehicles.
“Not only are youngsters becoming climate-conscious and moving to cleaner sustainable solutions, they also want to try something new…EV fits in perfectly. The service providers want you to scan a code, take the vehicle and drop it off — all these are attractive for youngsters. Moreover, they are cost-effective and fit their budgets. Every manufacturer designs products keeping in mind these youngsters,” said Pawan Mulukutla, director (electric mobility), World Resources Institute, an NGO.
Indian Institute of Science set up its off-grid, solar-based EV charging point in March this year. While the institute has EVs for both passengers and solid waste management, it is the latter that is using it daily as the number of students on campus is currently low. It is open to the public as well.
“We are also undertaking a study to develop a dashboard on the EV charging infrastructure required for the city. It will include data like the optimal location, number of locations, what type of charging, among others. It will help agencies like Bescom and BBMP to take decisions and scale things up. Apart from the students, from the point of institute administration, they understand the importance of doing so. And these types of studies also will help them in upgrading the infrastructure,” said Ashish Verma, professor, transportation systems engineering.
The campuses say they want to go green themselves and encourage those who are doing it. BNM Institute of Technology, which has 15 students and staff currently using it, says the interest among peers in electric vehicles is increasing.
“We decided to come up with EV charging stations to encourage our students and faculty members to use EVs. The electric vehicle industry is booming, and this trend is being noticed among our students and faculty members too. There is also an increase in awareness about the adverse impact of fossil-fuel-based vehicles on the environment and the depleting fossil fuel reserves will soon create an energy crisis if we do not make the shift to EVs operating on green energy faster,” said SY Kulkarni, additional director, BNMIT, where preparations of setting up a charging point are under way.
The soaring fuel prices also make students and staff look for alternatives. With awareness increasing, many are making the switch. “ This is a one-time investment and eco-friendly as well,” Bindu N, a fifth-semester engineering student, said.
“Every accreditation body looks at how green your campus is. Apart from that, we all wanted to make some provision for the staff and students who are using EVs. They should not be discouraged from turning eco-friendly because of lack of infrastructure. Fuel prices are fluctuating so rapidly that they too are looking for alternatives,” said Ravishankar BV, the principal of BMS College of Engineering. The college has now one charging point, set up six months ago.
Christ (deemed to be) University said it will also set up an EV charging point soon.
Also Read:
India’s Green New Deal for mobility will need a comprehensive and overarching policy framework that offers long-term visibility and stability for the sector and ensures alignment across all involved stakeholders.