Tata Motors Electric bus commences pilot-runs in Guwahati

Tata Motors has commenced trials of its electric bus with a seating capacity of 26-34 passengers in Guwahati. The full-auto transmission Tata Ultra ELECTRIC 9-metre bus is conducting trials jointly with Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) for seven days, offering free transport to the participants of FIFA team and devotees from Plantan Bazar to Maa Kamakhya Temple.

This trial is in continuation of the successful trial of the 9-metre electric bus from Parwanoo to Shimla a few months ago, where the bus covered a distance of 160 km in one full charge. The trials in Chandigarh were also encouraging, with the bus running 143 km and covering about 70 per cent of the charge.

These trials are a part of the ministry of road transport's agenda for the electrification of public transport, for which Tata Motors is getting ready with its range of electric vehicles, from 9- and 12-metre with various seating configurations.

''With increasing focus of automotive industry and government towards electrification of automobiles, Tata Motors has been continuously pushing the boundaries in the electric mobility space and is the first company in country to get ARAI and homologation certification for its 9- and 12-metre electric bus. These buses qualify for the subsidy under revised FAME scheme which will give a big boost to the electrification of public transport,'' AK Jindal, head, Engineering Research Centre at Tata Motors, said.

''We have conducted trials all across the country to understand the local city requirements and fine-tune to bus specifications to offer most economical mobility solution and we have been receiving positive response to our trails. Such pilot runs in various pockets of the country stand testimony to our commitment of providing electrification solutions in India. Tata Motors is also working with various study groups formed by the central government to work out various business models for operating electric vehicles and to optimise the overall economics of these buses,'' he added.

The electric buses are equipped with a highly-efficient drive train and weight-optimized battery, coupled with Tata Motors proprietary energy management system and vehicle control strategy for a low total cost of ownership, the company claimed.

Besides the 18m articulated bus for Mass Rapid Transportation, designed and developed to meet the current and future passenger transportation needs of Smart Cities, Tata Motors has also launched a range of last mile passenger and small commercial vehicles like IRIS and Magic. Tata Motors has also previously showcased a futuristic 12m Hydrogen Fuel-Cell full low floor bus.