Looking back and ahead is what the start of the new year is for. The year 2018 was a big one for e-buses in India, spelling out loud that buses are key to the EV revolution in the coming years.
As 2018 slips by, it’s hard not to ponder over a pivotal trend that became quite outspoken in the Indian CV industry last year – the electrification of buses. Although the ‘e’-talks gained traction in the auto town and policy circles since half a decade, last year saw the onus culminating on the OEMs to join the exotic ‘electric club’ by rolling out EV prototypes and dummy-run products, essentially seen as a way of jump-starting electric mobility in the country.
The Auto Expo 2018 – Motor Show stood as a testimony, with all leading manufacturers displaying their battery-electric buses, assuring the market that both the technology and products are ready. Moving beyond State-run urban transit, automakers even came up with electric buses for inter-city and private fleet applications. The year also saw a multitude of passenger SCVs going electric, while the only successful EV clan so far – the e-rickshaws – entered the streets of new towns and cities last year. Despite their improving affordability and market demand, e-rickshaws and mini EVs still cater to a minuscule share of transportation needs in the country.
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