Tata Motors had commenced the supply of 40 electric buses to the Lucknow City Transport Services Ltd. (LCTSL). The automaker will be supplying the Ultra 9m AC Electric buses to the city in a phased manner over the next four months. The order is part of the 255 e-buses that will be supplied to six STUs in the country. The first Ultra 9/9m AC Electric bus was flagged off in Lucknow by the Minister of Urban Development, Suresh Kumar Khanna. The electric bus will begin its journey from Alambagh depot in Lucknow. The e-buses have been developed indigenously by the company and are built on an all-new modular platform that was developed in a period of less than a year.
Suresh Kumar Khanna, Minister of Urban Development, UP, flags off the Tata electric bus
Speaking on the occasion, Tata Motors - Passenger Commercial Vehicles, Product Line Head, Rohit Srivastava said, “Tata Motors has always been at the forefront of the E-mobility evolution and this order is a testament of our best-in-class solution tailored for the bus segment in India. The order is part of the 255 e-buses to be supplied to six STUs in the country, of which LCTSL is one. Our in-depth understanding of sustainable public transport for different markets and customers is what differentiates us from our competitors. We are determined to develop alternate fuel technologies and create more energy efficient vehicles supporting government's efforts for promoting electric vehicles in the country.”
The Tata Ultra 9m AC Electric buses are manufactured at Tata and Tata Marcopolo Dharwad plsnts. The electric buses will have a travelling range of 150 km on a single charge. The Ultra 9m AC e-buses uses lithium-ion batteries that have been placed on the rooftop to prevent breakdown due to waterlogging. The company says the batteries are liquid-cooled to maintain the temperature within an optimum range and ensure longer life along with better performance in tropical conditions. The automaker has also installed a charging station at the Alambagh depot for fast charging of the buses.
Rohit Shrivastava, VP & Head - Buses, Tata Motors, Manoj KR Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary, Urban Development, Sanjay Bhatia, Head, Govt Bus at the flag off ceremony
The new electric buses use an integrated electric motor generator with peak power at 330 bhp and can deliver up to 194 bhp continuously. The critical electrical traction components have been sourced from suppliers in the US, Germany and China. Moreover, the buses have been tested and validated by the company across multiple states including Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Assam and Maharashtra to establish performance in diverse terrains.
Speaking about the new e-buses, Tata Motors CVBU - Head Engineering (Electric & Defence), Dr. AK Jindal said, “Tata Motors has been engaging in advanced engineering and development of electric traction system for Hybrid as well as pure electric vehicles for over a decade. The Ultra Electric Bus is a new modular platform which has been developed in a very short lead time of less than a year, leveraging the knowledge and experience we have gained and demonstrating our commitment to the Government of India's National Electric Mobility Mission Plan for Public Transport. The architecture of the platform has been conceived and developed by in-house engineering team of Tata Motors, meeting the requirement of various tenders floated by different state transport undertakings. The exterior has been designed with new brand identity that includes stylized Ultra headlamps and streamlined looks. The vehicle architecture ensures very low energy consumption and low TCO (total cost of operation) apart from being a Zero Emission environment friendly bus.”
The Tata Ultra electric buses are equipped with air-conditioning and have seats for 31 passengers. The buses will come with an air suspension for both the front and rear axles, as an Industry first feature, and are intended to make the ride more comfortable. Tara Motors will be supplying e-buses to WBTC (West Bengal), LCTSL (Lucknow), AICTSL (Indore), ASTC (Guwahati), J&KSRTC (Jammu) and JCTSL (Jaipur). The manufacturer has also said that it is developing its electric mini-bus segment in the near future.
