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Battery Electric vehicles produce zero local emissions and reduce dependency on fossil fuels. They open up possibility of efficient use of renewable energy in transport sector. India is endowed with high solar irradiance in most of the regions and seasons. Hence, tapping the solar energy for electrification of vehicles would be a sustainable solution in long run. Since significant amount of fossil fuels are consumed for public transportation, electrification of public transportation is a necessary step towards sustainability. However, range limitation is a serious constraint for electric buses. The technologies such as lightweight design of bus body and integration of solar panels on roof top of the bus can help in reducing the total energy consumption requirement.

Mass reduction of vehicle is crucial for increasing fuel efficiency and reducing emissions so as to address rising environmental concerns. In case of battery electric vehicles, this will further augment the benefits in reducing the energy storage capacity required at a given electric drive range. The range of an electric vehicle depends on the stored energy in the battery pack and energy use by the vehicle. The energy use by a vehicle depends on several factors including vehicle mass, power train efficiency as well as driving cycle. Given a range requirement, vehicle's energy efficiency determines the energy storage required. A lighter vehicle will typically require a smaller battery for a given electric range, which in turn will result in energy savings. Hence, vehicle mass and battery mass are critical factors in energy efficiency of the vehicle.