Ashok Leyland’s EV arm – Switch Mobility Ltd has signed a deal with JSW Steel to introduce electric buses to facilitate commuting for its employees at the company’s Vijayanagar plant in Karnataka.
The electric commercial vehicle maker bagged the order for delivering 71 ‘SWITCH EiV 12’ e-buses making this the first significant and largest electric bus order in the country for employee transportation.
Official Statement
Having flagged off the first batch of deliveries, Switch Mobility’s Global CEO – Mr Mahesh Babu said, “The private bus market in India, is one of the key transportation markets in the country constituting 70% market share, of which the private electric bus market is expected to be valued at ₹60 billion in the next five years. With the positive reception to Switch EiV 12, we are glad to enter the employee transportation space and be a part of the sustainable journey with JSW Steel.”
“This partnership with JSW is an important milestone for Switch Mobility, as we deliver our first and largest private bus order in the country. I would like to thank the management of JSW for their trust in our Switch products. We are in talks with more corporates across the country who are showing keen interest to join hands in this sustainable journey’’, he added.
Additionally, Switch Mobility will own and oversee the operations of the entire fleet of its EiV 12 buses, including the setting-up of charging infrastructure and requisite maintenance efficacy, over a 12-year contract period. In view of this and to ensure effective operations and services, the company plans to expand its team and recruit 200 personnel, in line with its growth plans of increasing manpower by 30% over the next five years.
Switch EiV 12
The EiV 12 bus is the brand’s first fully electric bus specifically designed for the Indian market featuring more than 100+ embedded connectivity features for authorities and operators to analyse and improve their efficiency. The buses come with safety features including FDSS and FDAS along with modular lithium-ion battery packs with NMC chemistry, specially formulated for the Indian market and climatic conditions providing a range of around 300 km. The air-conditioned EiV 12 buses come equipped with proprietary, connected technology solutions, ‘Switch iON’, enabling remote, real-time diagnostics and monitoring services, as well as digital battery management tools to help monitor their performance.