Tata Motors, India’s biggest heavy commercial vehicle manufacturer, has lined up aggressive plans to supply high quality emission-free buses powered by alternate fuels and other mobility solutions to key cities and planned Smart Cities in the country.
The company on January 25 unveiled its electric and hybrid buses which would be supplied to its customers in 2017-18.
While the electric buses introduced in the length of 9 meters and 12 meters are priced in the range ₹1.6 crore to ₹2 crore, the Hybrid bus has been priced at ₹2 crore.
Tata Motors has bagged orders from Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to supply 25 Hybrid buses and these will be delivered starting the first quarter of 2017-18, top company officials said. The company is yet to receive any order for the electric buses.
Besides, the company also showcased a Fuel Cell bus which is the futuristic technology in the mobility space.
The hydrogen powered Fuel Cell bus has been developed in partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Currently at a prototype stage, this bus is for inter-city commute and may be commercially introduced in India in the next decade depending on the availability of the fuel.
Combining hydrogen gas and oxygen, the Fuel Cell produces electricity to power the electric motor of the bus. Since the by-products are only water and heat this bus has zero tail pipe emission.
LNG fuel
Tata Motors also showcased its 12 meters long bus that would use Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as fuel and an 18 meters long ‘Articulated’ bus that has capacity to carry more number of passengers at one go with its additional coach.
Ravindra Pisharody, Executive Director, Commercial Vehicles, Tata Motors said: “We want to send across the message that we are a full range passenger transport player.
“We want to take a lead in this segment.
“With our new range of buses, we will continue to play an active role in mass public transportation, with a commitment towards striking the right balance between sustainable growth and profitability. Our focus is on building alternative transport fuels and infrastructure for smart cities of tomorrow.”
The company also unveiled light commercial electrical vehicles which could be used for last mile connectivity in cities.
