Veera Vahana and Exponent Energy have announced the 'Veera Mahasamrat EV' intercity electric bus

Veera Vahana and Exponent Energy reveals the 'Veera Mahasamrat EV', which they claim is the world's first 15-minute charging intercity bus. The electric bus is designed to rapid charge in 15 minutes using Exponent's 1 MW charging technology.

According to the companies, this is the world's first 13.5m EV bus on 2-axles and comes equipped with Exponent's 320 kWh battery pack. The bus is said to have a battery warranty of 6 Lakh km or 3000 life cycles.

The companies state that they are focusing on long-haul intercity travel, with initial operations planned for the Bengaluru - Hyderabad route. Exponent plans to install four charging stations along this route.

According to the announcement, the Veera Mahasamrat EV could potentially reduce operating expenses for fleet owners by 30% compared to an ICE bus. The companies suggest that with 15-minute rapid charging and the Exponent charging network along highways, bus operators may be able to use electric vehicles on long-haul inter-city routes without concerns about range and long charging times.

To support operations on the Bengaluru - Hyderabad route, Exponent Energy plans to deploy four 1 MW charging stations - two at each endpoint and two along the highway. The companies state that this setup aims to allow bus operators to transition from ICE to electric vehicles while maintaining a similar experience in terms of number of stops and downtime per stop.

K. Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director of Veera Vahan, is quoted as saying that electric buses are currently restricted to short-haul or intracity operations due to limited range and long charging time. He suggests that their partnership with Exponent aims to mimic the experience of diesel buses, which typically stop every 300 km for 15-20 minutes.

The announcement describes Exponent's technology stack as managing each cell's characteristics through its BMS, charging algorithms, and thermal management using a proprietary off-board thermal management system. This system is said to actively pump coolant to the battery while charging to maintain optimal temperature, aiming to deliver consistent performance even at ambient temperatures as high as 50°C.

Arun Vinayak, Co-founder & CEO of Exponent Energy, is quoted as expressing excitement about the partnership with Veera Vahana. He states that they have built what they claim to be the world's third 1 MW charging technology, after Tesla & Siemens, in India for India.