65 electric vehicles to be deployed in Visakhapatnam for garbage collection

Battery-powered electric vehicles will soon be deployed in Visakhapatnam for household garbage collection as a part of the government’s Clean Andhra Pradesh (CLAP) initiative. The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) will receive 65 e-autorickshaws from the state government.

The official launch of 516 e-autorickshaws, which would be distributed across the state, took place at Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s camp office in Tadepalli. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded these vehicles, which will facilitate door-to-door garbage collection.

According to a GVMC official, the acquisition of electric garbage collection vehicles for Visakhapatnam has been a long-standing request for the implementation of CLAP. The government’s provision of battery-operated autorickshaws aligns to reduce fossil fuel consumption, he added. Utilising e-vehicles for garbage collection is expected to reduce costs by 70% compared to diesel-run vehicles. The GVMC has already established charging points at its headquarters, with additional points planned in the future.

The compact design of these e-vehicles enables them to navigate narrow lanes and hilly areas of the city effortlessly. Their implementation not only helps reduce emissions but also proves cost-effective, requiring minimal maintenance. Currently, approximately 600 CLAP vehicles are responsible for household waste collection in the city, which generates around 1,000 metric tons of solid waste daily. A portion of the waste is deposited at the mini-sewage Farms, while the remainder is sent to Jindal’s Waste-to-Energy Recycling plant in Kapuluppada.

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