Biggest In India! Ahmedabad Places Order Of 300 Electric Buses To Tata Motors

Very few companies are involved in making electric buses currently being used in India. Tata Motors distinguishes itself from these, with the highest deliveries of electric buses in the country to date. Now, it has bagged another order and this time, it is the biggest one ever in India!

A contract of 300 electric buses has just been handed to Tata Motors by Ahmedabad Janmarg Limited (AJL) on an operation expenditure (OPEX) model, i.e. pay-per-km basis. The contract records the biggest ever order of electric buses in India.

As for the electric buses, Tata Motors will supply its Urban 9/9 electric model for Ahmedabad’s Bus rapid transit system (BRTS) corridor. The buses have been indigenously developed to give a push to the Make-In-India project. Though its critical electrical components like the battery and the motor have been “sourced from international suppliers in USA, Germany and China,” quotes a PTI report.

In addition to supplying the e-buses, Tata Motors will be responsible for their operations too. This will involve setting up the required infrastructure like fast charging systems and maintenance units. It will then charge AJL on a pay-per-km basis for the bundled services.

Tata Motors has delivered 200 electric buses in India to date and held the largest market share during the FAME I scheme. With this, it affirms that it has tested and approved the electric buses across states like Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Assam and Maharashtra for various driving conditions.

A nation-wide transition!

Other states are not far behind this large order. Mumbai Central ST bus depot recently started an inter-city electric bus named ‘Shivai’ as India’s first ever. Shivai comes as a part of a planned fleet of 150 such electric buses.

Bengaluru claimed to be working towards inducting a total of 100 electric buses for the state transportation. A contract of 80 electric buses by West Bengal was also handed recently to Tata Motors.

The electrification drive has been propelled multifold by the recently issued expression of interest (EoI) by the Department of Heavy Industries. The EoI grants Rs 2,500 crore funds for procuring a total of 5,000 electric buses across the country.

Source: India Times

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