[TusharK]

Hyderabad has deployed 40 electric buses taking the total number of Olectra-BYD electric buses on Indian roads to 108. In addition to Telangana, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh, Olectra-BYD buses are also operational in Mumbai and Pune in the state of Maharashtra.



Hyderabad is the first city in India to deploy the 12-meter long eBuzz K9 electric bus for public transport purposes. These buses will ferry passengers to Hyderabad International Airport from various locations in the city and will undertake 10 trips daily on average.

The eBuzz K9 electric bus is an air-conditioned low floor bus based on a monocoque chassis. It has a seating capacity of 39 persons. The bus rides on air suspension and has a Kneeling Mechanism for easier ingress and egress, especially for senior citizens and specially-abled. It is powered by a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery that supports fast charging and has a claimed range of over 250 km on single charge with the AC on and a full load of passengers. It also has a Regenerative Braking System.

Olectra-BYD electric buses are claimed to have clocked close to 6 lakh km in India. This translates to a reduction in carbon emissions to the tune of 630 tonnes. It is estimated that handling that much CO2 would require 3,143 trees.

Link to Team-BHP News

[Prav_Panther]

It is indeed a great initiative. It will definitely help in reducing the carbon foot print of Hyderabad which as a city is growing at high pace. I can see the number of cars and bike on roads has gone up drastically in last 5 years.

[V.Narayan]

Very heartening to see this. I am now hopeful that other municipalities will adopt his path too. My estimate is that the electric wave will get adopted faster at the public transport - three wheeler end of the spectrum than at the car owners end. Unfortunately we hear some amount of grumbling and cynicism about EVs even on India's premier automobile site and a reluctance to adopt along with the usual questions on power supply and charging points. The force of a compelling change is often such that the infrastructure follows the demand and demand follows infrastructure. You cant say first get the infra right then we will decide to adopt. Both usually run in parallel when changing technology is involved. We saw it in adoption of mobile telecommunication, in domestic air travel, in the advent of jet air transport, in the adoption of e-commerce and so many other changes. We will muddle and puddle our way through at times. EVs here we come.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Very heartening to see this. I am now hopeful that other municipalities will adopt his path too.

Heartening indeed. Also, I want to show off Pune a bit. Buses from the same manufacturer have been doing rounds in Pune for a couple of months now. This is that rare, rare occasion when Pune Municipal Corp is proactive when it comes to public transportation.

This pic highlights the average Pune bus; from the 70s, rickety and with a near 100% probability to have a breakdown.

[V.Narayan]

^^^^^
Excellent news.

China has stolen the march over other countries in designing and manufacturing affordable EVs. I wouldn't be surprised if Chinese EV manufacturers set up shop here in the next 5 years.

[PetrolRider]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Heartening indeed. Also, I want to show off Pune a bit.

I have seen them on Solapur road and was wondering what they are doing. Heartening to learn that they are run by PMPML. Also, exciting is that, they are running with full capacity, unlike Airport A/C service.
Cross referring my sighting from another post (Goldstone BYD launches the e-Buzz K6 – An electric urban bus with a 200 km range).
Any idea on the routes they are serving? I might jump in just for the experience.

[turbospooler]

I live in Baner area of Pune and these buses have started plying in my area. I saw them in the evening and all seats looked occupied. A good sign as Pune needs to be weaned off the Bike and Car appetite it has developed. Last I read, Pune's human population was matched by Pune's vehicular population.
This along with Metro will be the best solution for curbing pollution.

[volkman10]

Is this EV scheme in India a joke? Blame game starts as buses become non operational.

City’s ambitious e-bus plan nixed by broken charger

45 new buses that were launched just two weeks ago on Independence Day are now in PMPML’s garage, as authorities scramble to fix issue; commuters irate

Blame is being placed at the doors of the Hyderabad-based automotive company Olectra BYD from which the buses were procured, as it was also responsible for the maintaining the buses and ensuring their power supply. Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) had the role of a mere facilitator in the process.

Link

[SR-71]

Just curious, any idea how long does it take to charge these bus batteries from a 0 to 100%.

BMTC run a fleet of Volvo bus to the airport from various points in Bangalore. They run 24x7 and it would be a significant carbon saving to replace the fleet with these electric bus in the first phase. And they should then work on replacing the A/C vovlo service that run within the city. Unfortunately this state has been witnessing poor and unstable governance for a while now :-(

As a wishful thinking if we had the technology to extend the range 500 Kms a significant number of private operators can use this for intra-city routes. With the right option & long term savings, private players typically adopt the latest and the greatest pretty fast than the slow and lethargic government departments. One should be able to do a Bangalore - Mysore, Bangalore - Chennai, Bangalore - Trichy, Bangalore - Madurai, Bangalore - Coimbatore, Chennai - Trichy, Chennai - Madurai stretches in one charge. These routes probably cover 50% of the private operator services in the south.

[Fuldagap]

Originally Posted by SR-71

Just curious, any idea how long does it take to charge these bus batteries from a 0 to 100%.

As per chat with one of the conductors today:

03 hours to a full charge during the night at Baner, Pune depot. Does it good for 250 Kms range. Has 16 batteries. When the drivers change their shift during the day, they charge for 01 hour again to make sure that they don't face troubles.