Electric Buses Trolled For Using Diesel Generators To Get Recharged In Pune [Video]

Electric vehicles are slowly gaining popularity across the country, and we even have several government departments promoting the same. In many states, city buses are now electric, and they are often used for short distances. We have now come across a video that has been going viral on the internet. The video has attracted a lot of criticism, as an electric bus was seen getting charged using a diesel generator in Pune.

The video has been doing the rounds on the internet across various social media platforms. The one seen here has been shared by The Nalanda Index on their X profile. The video was recorded somewhere in Pune. What forced the person to record the video was the irony that an electric bus was getting charged not from an EV charging station, but using a diesel generator.

The video has been posted with a caption: “I refuse to be forced into believing a lie. ‘Travel green’ often just means your electric ride is quietly powered by a diesel generator. Saving the planet on paper. ?”

The person who posted the video claims that the “electric vehicle saving the world” narrative is just a big lie and that, as a country, we are not ready to shift to EVs. The infrastructure, according to them, still needs a lot of work.

The electric bus is parked right next to a diesel generator, as seen in the video, and we can hear the generator working as well. The charging gun is connected to the bus, and it is drawing power directly from the generator.

The whole concept of electric vehicles being environmentally friendly seems to be getting lost here. The comment section under the video has several posts criticising the authorities. Some of the comments read, “Now you’re investing in two assets - first diesel, then green for electric ???”, and “Some EV fanboy will say, ‘So what? At least there is no tailpipe emission. Energy efficiency in EVs is good.’ Unless the majority of electricity comes from renewable energy - hydro, solar, or maybe nuclear - people should refrain from saying that EVs are green.”

There is also a comment claiming that this is an old video and that it was recorded when the vehicle was in transit. At that time, there were not many charging stations in the state, and due to the lack of chargers, they had to stop and charge using a diesel generator.

We really hope this is the case and that the authorities have since sorted out these issues. If that is not true, then the whole narrative of electric vehicles and public transport being clean would turn out to be misleading.

The charging infrastructure in the country has come a long way, but it is still nowhere near perfect. We still come across several instances where people are stranded in the middle of nowhere after their vehicle runs out of charge.

Many have also raised issues about chargers that are shown online but are actually not working, forcing users to make last-minute changes to their trips and look for alternative charging points.