Scania Commercial Vehicles India (SCVI) today handed over India’s first ethanol-fuelled city bus to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) for trial runs in Nagpur. Anders Grundströmer, managing director, SCVI, and senior vice-president, Scania Group, and Sivakumar V, director - sales, SCVI, handed over the bus keys to Nitin Gadkari, Union minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Rural Development, government of India, who flagged off the eco-friendly bus.

Speaking at the handover event, Anders Grundströmer said, “This represents an important step towards our common goal – the realisation of energy-efficient and sustainable public transportation solutions in India. We have expertise and experience with ethanol-run buses for more than 20 years. We view ethanol as the future for public transport. The use of ethanol as a vehicle fuel is the best example of what can be done here and now in sustainable development work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution.”

In recent years, Scania has also delivered ethanol buses for commercial service in Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Norway and other countries. Ethanol accounts for around 90 percent of renewable vehicle fuels available in the world today and can be sourced locally, which will reduce the need for import of oil. It is the most cost-effective biofuel in the market in terms of availability, infrastructure and accessibility.

Compared to a conventional diesel engine, ethanol-powered vehicles can reduce fossil carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90 percent. Ethanol also offers the best operating radius of the currently available renewable fuels for city centre and urban operations.

"Public transport on ethanol buses is a cost-effective way of reducing several of the city's environmental problems. The solutions we are now developing create the necessary preconditions for both more attractive forms of travel and also better living conditions in city centres, without requiring major investments in new infrastructure. With this ethanol bus, we also introduce an engine complying with Bharat Stage V, which is a huge step to minimise emissions further. Biofuel is the sustainable solution for urban public transport here and now," Grundströmer concluded.

Photograph (L-R): Sudhir Raut, chairman, Parivahan Samiti; Anil Sole, mayor, Nagpur City; Nitin Gadkari, minister of Road Transport, Highways, Shipping & Rural Development; Shyam Wardhane, commissioner, NMC; and Anders Grundströmer, MD, Scania Commercial Vehicles India and senior vice-president, Scania Group.