[dZired]

Ashok Leyland has launched India's first locally manufactured, all-electric bus - Circuit. It has completely been designed and engineered in the country. The company is planning to expand the 'Circuit' name as a range of fully-electric buses built on multiple platforms.

Ashok Leyland claims that the 100% electric, zero-emission bus has been built and designed while keeping in mind the requirements and limitations of operating it in Indian customers. The automaker had committed to build fully-electric commercial vehicles during the 2015 FAME Delhi Workshop.

The Circuit bus is powered by a Lithium-ion battery pack. The company claims that it can travel a distance of 120 kilometres on a single charge. The battery can be completely charged within three hours. Though the official power output figures haven't been revealed, the Circuit can reach a top speed of 75 km/h. It has a seating capacity of 31 passengers.

Ashok Leyland has equipped the bus with an on-board fire detection and suppression system (FDSS). It is also connected with telematics for easier diagnosis in case of a fault. Passengers get USB phone charging points as well as WiFi connectivity in the Circuit bus.

Source: Car and Bike

Link to Team-BHP News

[sreeharipv]

Are there any city routes that fall within 120 km range? They should at least make the range big enough to cover the distance of at least the median of city routes or its no good. Cost may not allow these buses to be used as school buses etc.

[Torqy]

120Km range might not mean anything in a city like Bangalore, if you consider the crawling traffic and jams. Maybe it's already taken into consideration.

[TheARUN]

Picked this up from another place on the web. The bus is expected to cost upwards of a Crore

[GTO]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

Picked this up from another place on the web. The bus is expected to cost upwards of a Crore

At best, some corporate company will buy it as part of their CSR initiative. Reminds me of the outrageously priced Mahindra eVerito.

For electric vehicles to gain in popularity, they just have to make sense (i.e. sensible pricing, practicality). Few will buy it for zero emissions. They just have to appeal to the head to make it in the mass market.

[hangover]

Originally Posted by GTO

For electric vehicles to gain in popularity, they just have to make sense (i.e. sensible pricing, practicality). Few will buy it for zero emissions. They just have to appeal to the head to make it in the mass market.

True. It has not made sense since a 100 years. I read somewhere that one of the first electric vehicles were made in the late 1800's just after rechargeable batteries became popular.

Even the CNG and LPG engines are now causing global warming. Apparently methane (or similar) leaks from storage tanks and pipe seals.

I'm not sure how far this next bit is true. Methane is added into the atmosphere (obviously not on purpose) during fracking.

Reg. those Li-ion batteries - the government has to set up a full chain of collection points and recycling plants for the lithium. I think I will hold on to my petrol shares for awhile.

Leyland can try out tram type CV's - normal trucks with electric drives pulling power from overhead lines. Like those Dodgems. See pic.

[Rahul Rao]

As per PMPML city buses run 200 to 300 km per day in two shifts. From 0545AM to 2145PM. Most have short halts of 15 min to 45 min at depots or stands between trips.
Some routes have longer afternoon halts on routes where frequency is high during morning and evening hours and low in afternoon hours. Buses on routes with another half shift ie 20 Hrs per day on road doo more than 300 km.
The range of 120km is just not adequate.

Rahul

[Nissan1180]

Electric buses are good.
Hybrid buses are better.
Diesel buses are still the best. Not for the environment, but for the economics of running the service.
Here's an article describing the Hybrid bus trial in Singapore. It went on till August 2016, but it has not become mainstream. The cost is high and the efficiency is not that great. More importantly, the electricity here comes largely from coal so it's not that green either.
I think the issue with battery based vehicles is the battery itself- Lithium batteries have limitations. Other technologies, such as Sodium Ion batteries, are useful for storing electricity in microgrids but they operate at a higher temperature (~200 degrees) and cannot be safely installed in a moving vehicle.
I am not sure about what the future holds for EVs. Passenger cars are fine-since they can be parked and charged. Buses have to be reliable and super efficient and cheap to run. They have a long way to go before being considered a serious replacement for current generation diesels.

[rajeev k]

The Central Public Sector Undertaking, BHEL once manufactured battery operated buses named Electravans. They made around 300 such buses in the early 2000s.

But, unfortunately, BHEL shelved it and never had any further plan to renew the electric bus production.

The specifications of Electravan is as under,(source: https://geda.gujarat.gov.in/applicat...ed_vehicle.php )

A. PERFORMACNE DATA
Range per charge 70 Kms.
Max. Speed 40 KMPH
Gradability 10%
Energy Consumption 0.5 KWH / Km.
B. VEHICLE DATA
1. WEIGHT
Gross Vehicle Weight 3860 kgs. Approx.
Battery Weight 1100 Kgs. Approx
Pay Load Capacity 1000 Kgs. Approx
Seating Capacity 15 + 1
CHASSIS Light weight chassis and body with 3 forward and one reverse gear.
BATTERY
96V, 300AH Lead acid traction batteries housed in steel trays with acid resistant coating.
PRIME MOVER
20 HP Separately excited DC- Traction motor
SPEED CONTROLLER
Electronic chopper controller
INSTRUMENTATION
Speedometer, battery voltmeter, battery ammeter, visual indication lamps, emergency off switch.
ACCESSORIES
Quick battery replacement system to change discharged batteries by charged ones.
Note: Once continues improvements are taking place in the product design, specification are subject to changes without brief notice.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

Electric buses are good.
Hybrid buses are better.
Diesel buses are still the best. Not for the environment, but for the economics of running the service.

There are a few Mercedes-Benz Citaro-G Series Hybrid buses running successfully in Stuttgart, and the operator is finding it more economical than their diesel counterparts (about 18% lower fuel costs, plus savings on maintenance, thanks to the absence of a conventional transmission unit). For places with a temperate weather, the batteries and the electronics for the hybrid system are not stressed as much as they are in a primarily tropical region like ours, where temperatures rise considerably high. Therefore, hybrids are the future and they will progressively become more economical than pure diesels, with improvements in the tolerance levels in battery systems and the electronics.

[Ashley2]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

The Central Public Sector Undertaking, BHEL once manufactured battery operated buses named Electravans. They made around 300 such buses in the early 2000s.
Attachment 1568909
But, unfortunately, BHEL shelved it and never had any further plan to renew the electric bus production.....

Used this inside IIT - Madras during 2004-05. Never know that they were made by BHEL.
Great Info.

[norhog]

I came across this in a Croatian magazine.
Could be worth the effort.
Places where the overhead lines are not there battery can be used.

[hangover]

Originally Posted by norhog

Attachment 1571676
I came across this in a Croatian magazine.
Could be worth the effort.
Places where the overhead lines are not there battery can be used.

That is brilliant. It is a zero emission vehicle with the flexibility of a truck.
If I was a betting man, I would bet on hydrogen powered cars.
If you have some patience to trawl the NASA website you may read about 1970-1980 satellites that were powered by H2.

It is your basic high school chemistry actually. Water is electrolyzed by the suns heat. The output H2 is used in mini rocket thrusters.

It is of course a totally different environment. And satellites don't encounter air resistance while micro-maneuvering

We need some breakthrough tech. at home to produce enough hydrogen. Your car will be lighter because of its inherent "lighter than air" property.

On second thoughts, maybe not. Your need an airship size storage for "lightening" your car. It would be cool though. The vehicle could float at neutral buoyancy like submarines.

Before you bring up the Hindenburg, well, if we can invent all the rest, I'm sure we can figure out a way to render it inert until actual combustion.