ELECTRIFYING PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND MAKING COMMUTES SAFER

In the latest Busworld Southeast Asia congress, the rise of electrification in buses and coaches and the need to make commutes safer took centrestage. Sumesh Soman delves deeper.

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Buses and coaches are being electrified globally. While some may be at a more advanced stage than others, on the whole, the end objective is the same. Attaining net-zero particulate matter emissions and reducing the carbon footprint are being pursued with renewed vigor to mitigate climate change. In the automotive sector, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) across markets like Southeast Asia are working in tandem with their respective governments to put in place the infrastructure for charging in case of immobility and for building hydrogen or gas-based economy. Averred Jan Deman, Knowledge Director at Busworld, “Electrification is the future and not just for passenger vehicles but for commercial vehicles as well. The way to zero-emission is an important issue that is asked of us from society and we will deliver on what is asked of us.” “In Southeast Asia, only about 10 per cent of greenhouse gases come from transport, 60 per cent of gases come from energy production and 15 per cent from the industry. And from within that 10 per cent, only five per cent comes from buses and coaches, while 54 per cent is attributed to individual cars. So the main evolution we need is to realize the need to shift from individual transport to collective road transport, ” he expressed.