According to a 2019 report by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), each road sweeper covers a distance of 20 to 42 kilometers per day using 80 to 100 liters of diesel at the rate of about 12 liters of diesel per hour. Sinha says this means that a mechanical road sweeper adds 120-150 tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every year. This is a matter of concern. Especially in summer, when Delhi’s air is relatively better than at other times of the year, it still has an Air Quality Index reading of over 150. That is, three times more than the maximum allowable level of 50.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) in its report in 2017 directed the Delhi government to explore alternatives powered by CNG or electricity. TERI had recommended that the machines be run in double shifts on clean fuel like CNG or electricity. Given that only NDMC in Delhi was running its machines in double shifts. Therefore, it can make an important contribution in reducing air pollution.
Sinha made his proposal to NDMC to import India’s first electric road sweeper from Boschung in March this year. They are yet to get official approval from the council. The reason for the delay was the corona pandemic. Boshcung’s machines are already in use in Switzerland, Germany, the UK and Spain. Kavyat will be the original equipment manufacturer for the Boschung S2.0 electric road sweeper in India.
Boschung S2.0 comes with a 54.4kW/h battery that can last up to 10 hours on a single charge. India’s temperature was a matter of concern when considering imports of Swiss machinery. Sinha said, “The battery should be ideal for Delhi summers where the temperature can go above 50 degree Celsius. In such cases the temperature of the battery inside the machine can go up to 60 °C. The model which is being imported in India is designed to withstand temperatures of up to 55 degree Celsius. The nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA) variety of lithium iron is used in batteries, just as Tesla uses in its batteries.”
“As far as battery disposal is concerned, we have a regulation plan from the Government of Switzerland for the recycling of waste materials used in batteries. The same rules will apply in India. No guidelines have been mentioned regarding battery disposal. But it will be a matter of concern only after about 8-12 years as we promise 8000 charging cycles for the battery.”
Cost and Deployment in India
The Boschung S2.0 Electric Road Sweeper is currently listed on the official eMarketplace website at a price of Rs.3.6 Crore. “We are very expensive as compared to our competitors,” Sinha said. “But at the same time the electric road sweeper will be able to clean at least 50 kms in a single shift. Thus in a time span of seven to eight years, Boschung’s road sweeper will prove to be a more economical option, given the fuel cost savings and reduction in air pollution.
The first phase of deployment of these machines is planned in Bengaluru, New Delhi, Indore, Bhopal, Lucknow, Noida and Greater Noida. Sinha said, “These are the areas that we are looking at and the officials at all these places had given a positive initial response to the idea. But the face-to-face meeting is still pending due to the prevailing circumstances.”
Kavyaat India plans to eventually deploy electric road sweepers at airports, railways, hospitals and other premier institutions in India. Boschung also plans to start manufacturing and producing batteries and machinery in India. “Once our machines start selling in India, we will look at setting up charging stations supported by solar panels but that is the next step in the plan.” <!–
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