Olectra Greentech launches first locally manufactured luxury e-bus

Hyderabad-based Olectra Greentech, formerly known as Goldstone Infratech, has recently launched its first luxury mini electric bus. Manufactured in India, the zero-emission electric bus ‘eBuzz K6 LuXe’ is said to be the first electric bus in its category in the country.

The 7-metre air-conditioned luxury coach has a seating capacity of 11+D (driver),  which the company says is designed to ply on smooth roads, patchy roads, hilly terrains or meandering routes. These electric buses are manufactured in India by Olectra Greentech in a strategic tie-up with China's BYD Auto Industry– one of the largest EV manufacturer in the world.

The bus with a monocoque chassis offers power up to 180Kw and 1800 Nm torque equipped with front and rear air-suspension. The eBuzz K6 LuXe also offers front and rear disc brakes with ABS, CCTV surveillance, real-time tracking, passenger information system, seat belts, short circuit protection, battery over-temperature protection and lightning protection. The bus can be driven consistently at a maximum speed of 80kph as per the Motor Vehicle Act guidelines.

The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery installed in the bus enables it to travel up to 200 plus km in a single charge. It also offers the option of regenerative braking which enables the bus to recover a part of the kinetic energy lost in braking. The battery can be fully charged in between 3-4 hours. The ebuzz K6 LuXe is built as per AIS 052 and UBS-II specification as prescribed by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).

N Nagasatyam, executive director – Olectra Greentech, said, “The new eBuzz K6 LuXe enables us to tap the high-end customers looking for an eco-friendly and comfortable road transport option. We are proud to enable the country to adopt electric mobility much faster and reap the benefits of our eco-friendly zero-emission electric buses, which are also equipped to travel in any kind of terrains as present in the diverse geographies in the country.”

Olectra Greentech has supplied 25 e-buses to HRTC and 6 e-buses to BEST. Recently, Olectra-BYD emerged as the winner for the bids to supply 200+ e-buses to various major state transport units.

The company had also launched eBuzz K9 andeBuzz K7, which are 12-metre and 9-metre respectively. The eBuzz K7 is claimed to be India’s first commercially operating electric bus, which started plying in September 2017 on the Kullu-Manali route under Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) for the public. Recently, it has started its operations between Manali-Rohtang pass also. The company is also running its electric bus eBuzz K7 in Mumbai under BrihanMumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST).  Another variant of K6 with 22 seats was launched on World Environment Day earlier this year, and have been exported to Nepal, and is available for Indian markets as well.

Additionaly, the company says that the 12-metre variant, eBuzz K9, has successfully completed its trials in Bangalore, Delhi, Chandigarh, Goa, Rajkot, Hyderabad, among others.

The company claims that the e-buses has clocked more than 300,000km on Indian roads, which it says has reduced CO2 emissions by up to 320-tonnes till now, which would have required1,600 trees instead.

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