Ashok Leyland’s EV arm – Switch Mobility Ltd has signed an agreement with JSW Steel to introduce electric buses to facilitate commuting of its employees at the company’s Vijayanagar plant in Karnataka.
The electric commercial vehicle manufacturer has bagged an order for supply of 71 ‘SWITCH EiV 12’ e-buses, making it the country’s first major and largest electric bus order for employee transport.
Official statement
Flagging off the first batch of deliveries, Mr. Mahesh Babu, Global CEO, Switch Mobility said, “The private bus market in India is one of the leading transportation markets in the country, comprising 70% of the market share. is the private electric bus market. It is expected to be worth Rs 60 billion in the next five years. With the positive reception of the Switch EiV 12, we are excited to enter the employee transportation space and be part of the sustainable journey with JSW Steel. But happy.
“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 confidence in our Switch products. “We are in talks with more corporates across the country who are showing keen interest in joining hands in this sustainable journey,” he added.
Additionally, Switch Mobility will own and oversee the operations of its entire fleet of EiV 12 buses, including charging infrastructure and essential maintenance utilities, over the 12-year contract period. In view of this and to ensure efficient operations and services, the company plans to expand its team and hire 200 personnel, in line with its plans to increase its workforce by 30 percent over the next five years.
Switch to EiV 12.
The EiV 12 bus is the brand’s first fully electric bus designed specifically for the Indian market with over 100+ embedded connectivity features for authorities and operators to analyze their performance. The buses come with safety features including modular lithium-ion battery packs with NMC chemistry with FDSS and FDAS, specially developed for the Indian market and climatic conditions providing a range of around 300 km. The air-conditioned EiV 12 buses are equipped with a proprietary, connected technology solution, ‘Switch iON’, which provides remote, real-time diagnostics and monitoring services, as well as digital battery management tools to help monitor their performance.