All buses in India to be electric in next 2 years: Nitin Gadkari

All buses in the country will switch to electric over the next two years without the government having to impose transition to cleaner sources of mobility, Union Minister of Road Transport and highways Nitin Gadkari said.

“In the coming two years, all buses will be converted to electric,” Gadkari said at the national conclave on energy efficiency in micro, small and medium enterprises here on Monday.

They will run on bio-CNG, ethanol, methanol,” Gadkari said, reiterating his firm stance on adoption of alternative sources of energy, without necessarily switching to electric vehicles.

Gadkari has in the past said that the transition to electric mobility will come in its natural course of progression. “There is no need to make electric(vehicles) mandatory, or even ban petrol and diesel vehicles,” Gadkari said.

Gadkari has been vocal about his support for India’s automotive industry currently facing its worst slowdown in two decades.

The ministry of road transport and highways led by Gadkari has also put on hold the thoughts on imposing strict deadlines for phasing out of petrol and diesel run two and three wheelers in the country as proposed by Niti Aayog.

The government’s policy think tank, in June had set a deadline for phasing out of petrol and diesel run 2 wheelers and 3 wheelers by 2023 and 2025, in a bid to promote electric vehicles in the country.