[Tushar]

JBM Auto has unveiled a new electric bus named the 'ECOLIFE'. The bus has been jointly developed with European bus manufacturer Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. The zero emission vehicle is powered by lithium batteries and supports fast charging through a pantograph. The vehicle can also run on plug-in charging. The company states that in 10-15 hours of the city operation, the bus can travel for around 150-200 km.

Once in commercial production, the ECOLIFE will be the second indigenous mass public transport product from the JBM Group. The bus is powered by an 80-160 KW motor. Given below is a summary of the ECOLIFE's features:

- Corrosion resistant monocoque structure
- Lithium batteries
- Pantograph and plug-in charging system
- Independent front suspension; rigid rear suspension
- Electronic braking system
- Wheelchair ramp
- Kneeling mechanism
- Cantilever seats
- Passenger information system (PIS)
- Vehicle health monitoring system
- Emergency exit doors
- All wheel disc brakes
- ABS + EBD
- Available in 9 metres and 12 metres length with a wheelbase of 4,430 mm and 6,320 mm respectively

[srishiva]

Not sure why public transport services in cities atleast are not aggressively pursuing electric vehicles. With the facilities they have they can have pre-charged battery units swap in/swap out and forget about charging time.

Needs to be automated to make it safer but still not that difficult to achieve.

[arjab]

Brilliant initiative from JBM. Good to see, what was essentially a Tier-1 component company group, maturing to a potential OEM.

Best wishes to them and hope this vehicle gets productionised at the earliest.

[PetrolRider]

From the picture it seems a LHD. Only for export market may be

[lionell]

They can use these buses in the dedicated BRTS (Bus Rapid Transport System) Corridors where movement is much smoother than regular traffic.

[girishglg]

This seems to be a good move, however not sure how well will it pick up among intra city operators who are all cash strapped STUs who cannot even replace their standard buses on time.

On that note wondering what would be the pricing of these buses and in comparison to the conventional air conditioned bus in our markets?

Originally Posted by Tushar

The vehicle can also run on plug-in charging.

Not sure what this means or

Does it mean that if the bus has an on board slave generator (something like the independent ones powering the air conditioners) , it can charge it on the move?

[Tushar]

Originally Posted by girishglg

Not sure what this means or

Does it mean that if the bus has an on board slave generator (something like the independent ones powering the air conditioners) , it can charge it on the move?

Plug-in charging would simply refer to the conventional method of charging an electric vehicle through a designated socket. Fast charging through a pantograph (pictured) is the alternative that would be quicker and reduce downtime, though I'm not sure as to what impact it would have on the battery's longevity.


(image source)

[V.Narayan]

Thank you for sharing this. In the late 1960s when I was a boy I had a book on transportation which had a section on the future that spoke of electric buses, solar powered vehicles and included a drawing exactly like Tushar has shown in post #7. This was supposed to be the world at the turn of the millennium. Today I am thrilled that electric buses, albeit hybrids, are entering service. I am confident in 2050 electric & hybrid will be the mainstay with pure internal combustion powered cars a hobbyists delight.