VE Commercial Vehicles Open to Invest in Charging Point Operators as e-bus Push Deepens

VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) is open to investing in charging point operators (CPOs) as part of its broader effort to strengthen India’s electric bus ecosystem, even as it continues to focus primarily on vehicle manufacturing and captive charging solutions, Vipin Gupta, Business Head – Electro Mobility, VE Commercial Vehicles, told Autocar Professional in an exclusive conversation.

“We have invested, but it is primarily on captive side of charging infra. But we are open for any such opportunity if it comes, then we will look into those types of facilities and will be keen to work with those partners,” Gupta said.

He added that discussions around charging infrastructure partnerships are always ongoing and form a natural part of the electric mobility business, though he did not indicate any specific investments or timelines.

“All depends on what sort of opportunities are there. These are discussions which can be firmed up only after looking at the opportunities. But our commitment is to continue to be part of the overall ecosystem and see wherever there are bottlenecks or wherever we can contribute,” he said.

Gupta identified charging infrastructure, particularly for long-distance operations, as a key factor in accelerating electric bus adoption in India. “For long-distance operations, if charging stations with high availability and minimal downtime can be worked out, putting all stakeholders together, that will bring a lot of confidence,” he said.

He added that while charging infrastructure deployment has improved significantly in recent years, faster execution would further strengthen confidence among operators, investors and passengers, who ultimately determine the success of public transport services.

OEM-built Buses Gaining Preference

The comments come as VECV ramps up its electric bus operations, including recent orders where buses are being fully designed and built in-house, rather than following the traditional model of supplying chassis and outsourcing body building.

According to Gupta, customer preference is increasingly shifting towards OEM-designed and developed electric buses due to the complexity of high-voltage systems, automation and durability requirements.

“These buses have to run for a number of years, covering long distances every day. The type of automation, EVHV systems and body design required puts a responsibility on the OEM to continuously improve design and development,” he said.

On potential regulatory moves to restrict third-party body building, Gupta said safety should remain the primary consideration regardless of whether the bus is built by an OEM or a third party, though OEMs typically operate under more structured and stringent processes.

Electro Mobility Portfolio Expansion

VECV began its Electro Mobility journey in 2021 and has since expanded beyond buses to build a broader portfolio that will also include electric trucks. “Our progress is not just in terms of how many vehicles we sell, but also in terms of the portfolio. We are expanding across segments and building long-term partnerships,” Gupta said.

He added that VECV views Electro Mobility as a long-term ecosystem play encompassing vehicles, charging infrastructure and aftersales support, rather than a purely transactional sales business. While he did not commit to specific numbers, Gupta said electric buses are targeted to form a meaningful share of the company’s overall portfolio over the next five years.

Government and private demand to grow together. On demand drivers, Gupta said both government tenders and private operators will continue to play important roles in the market’s growth. He pointed out that government programmes have already tendered close to 50,000 buses, helping create scale, improve designs and optimise costs, with the impact increasingly visible in the private market as well.

Looking ahead, Gupta said electric buses will account for a significantly higher proportion of vehicles on Indian roads over the next five years, supported by policy momentum, improving infrastructure and growing ecosystem readiness.