Formerly Goldstone Infratech, the e-bus maker has introduced eBuzz K6 ‘LuXe’ luxury electric mini bus and an iteration of eBuzz K9 12-metre bus for inter-city applications.
This is perhaps the only brand in the Indian bus industry that is creating a huge shake-up at the moment. This year at Busworld India, Olectra Greentech Ltd. made its fresh presence with an enhanced appeal, thanks to new brand and whole-new products.
Asked about what’s new this time, the company Managing Director, Mr. N.K. Rawal, said: “So far we were demonstrating our products of zero-emission public transportation with STUs… it’s time to diversity further towards private operators and tourist markets. We are proud to enable the country to adopt electric mobility much faster and reap its benefits with buses that can be employed in any kind of terrain in vast and diverse geographies of India. The new eBuzz K6 LuXe enables us to tap the high- end customers looking for an eco-friendly and comfortable road transport option”.
With this luxury coach, the 7-metre K6 e-bus platform now boasts three models, including the other two 22-seater AC and non-AC variants. Next up the ladder in Olectra-BYD’s product portfolio is the K7 9-metre platform, which also has AC and non-AC options for buyers to choose from. The K7 is the country’s first commercially running battery-electric bus, currently running under HRTC and BEST for public transportation.
Up further in the product range is the 12-metre eBuzz K9 platform which has successfully completed trials in cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Chandigarh, Goa, Rajkot and Hyderabad, to name a few. At Auto Expo 2018, the company unveiled the locally-built K9 bus for urban commutation. It has now added a new variant K9 D.2 with luxurious 2+2 seating configuration for inter-city and private touring applications.
Asked about the market prospects for the two debut products, Mr. Anand Swaroop, Chief Operating Officer, Olectra Greentech, said that the Southern region has a well-established and mature private fleet market. “We have equipped the two coaches with an array of value-added features, especially the K6 LuXe which makes perfect proposition for private tour operators and corporate buyers along with class-leading driving range of theses buses.”
The K6 and K7 buses can run up to 200 km on full charge, while the K9 can extend further up to 250 km, according to the OEM. Technologies and safety features such as ABS-assisted disc brakes, monocoque chassis, air-suspension and regenerative braking to recover up to 30 per cent of energy are standard across all the three platforms. Olectra-BYD buses have completed more than 3,200,000 km of trial run on Indian roads and have saved thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions, the company claims.
Mr. Swaroop added that with the soaring diesel prices, the operating cost of diesel-run buses is imposing a huge fiscal burden on STUs and fleet operators. “That’s where our appeal gets enhanced, the operating costs of our electric buses are just over INR 6 per km in a higher electricity tariff scenario which is far lower than long-run per km cost of around INR 25 for diesel buses”, he explained.
But the huge upfront cost does impose a restraint in buying these buses, isn’t it? “Of course, the cost is higher, and that’s why we have come up with gross cost model packages on pay-per-km basis for the State operators”, Mr. Swaroop replied. The STUs find them very attractive and viable, he said.
The company has done trial demonstrations with more than 20 STUs in the past couple of years. Recently, an agreement with BMTC has been effected with Olectra to supply 20 units of K7 and 60 units of K9 buses in the coming four months for Bengaluru, the company revealed.
On local manufacturing of buses, the COO said that both the production capacity and level of localization of products are going up every month. “At present, our annual capacity stands at 400-500 units annually, and we are optimistic that our capacity will expand to 3,000 units in one year from now”.
Mr. Swaroop also said that bus body building is also done in-house at the company’s facility in Telangana, with assistance from the MG Group. “We want in-cabin quality and ride experience of our buses on par with the metro rails, so as to lure commuters to prefer travelling in our electric buses. The state-of-the-art body building is being jacked up in our facility by following all international best practices and innovating them for local demands”, he added.
First ‘Made in India’ zero emission luxury mini coach
The 7-metre K6 LuXe that debuted at Busworld India grabbed the attention of every passerby, thanks to its attractive design and aesthetic appeal. The air-conditioned luxury coach has a seating capacity of 11+1, claims to offer highly comfortable rides to the commuters – be in on the smooth roads, patchy roads, hilly terrains or meandering routes – by virtue of front and rear air suspension. Its body is compliant to AIS 052 and UBS-II specification as prescribed by ARAI.
The bus offers power up to 180 kW and 1800 Nm torque, sourcing energy from lithium-ion (Li-ion) Phosphate Battery that can be fully recharged in 3-4 hours by an AC charger. The premium recliner push back leather seats provide extra cushioning to the passengers to make long-distance travel a comfortable affair.
Leading safety and comfort features of the new K6 include all disc brakes with ABS, CCTV surveillance, real time tracking, passenger information system, seat belts, short circuit protection, battery over-temperature protection and lightning protection, which makes to making it one of the safest travel options. An in-cabin WiFi-enabled infotainment system is also on offer. Top speed is limited to 80 kmph.