Olectra to deploy over 700 electric buses across cities this year
The company, which has a strategic partnership with China's BYD, the world's largest electric vehicle maker, currently has over 270 buses running on Indian roads.
It supplies electric buses to various state transport undertakings (STUs) and municipalities.
"By the end of this year, we are going to have 735 new buses deployed in India across various locations. Currently, we have over 270 buses," Olectra Greentech Executive Director Naga Satyam told .
He added that 200 buses will be added in Madhya Pradesh (Indore, Jabalpur, Ujjain and Bhopal), 150 each in Surat and Nasik and, 50 buses in Goa.
Olectra has a manufacturing unit near Hyderabad.
"We have been spearheading the electric vehicle adoption in the country with a focus not only to 'Make in India' but also 'Made for India'. We have covered significant ground in meeting the requirements of several states in the country and being the partners of choice for the EV revolution in the country for Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Himachal Pradesh, Hyderabad and Kerala where our eBuses are already plying," he said.
Talking about the C9 - which is slated to be unveiled later on Thursday by Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari - Satyam said the vehicle is the company's first intercity electric bus.
"We have now taken this initiative to the intercity routes also which will address the concerns of the distance covered by ebuses. C-9 can cover up to 300 km on a single charge which makes it an apt zero-emission travel option for the intercity travel operators leading to savings in the longer run," he added.
The bus is equipped with various safety features including EU standard FDSS System with TUV certification, ADAS System (Driver Fatigue System) and ITS System as per Indian Regulatory requirement.
To handle any crisis, it offers a Panic Alarm System and Emergency lighting system in case of an accident.