Tata Motors testing 9 meter all-electric bus in Chandigarh after successful test run between Parwanoo to Shimla couple of weeks ago
Tata Motors’ commercial vehicle division has started testing the Tata Ultra Electric bus in Chandigarh, where it will go through trial for 15 days. This is not the first time Tata is testing the 9 meter long all-electric bus in India, as earlier the company tested it between Parwanoo and Shimla. For the trial run of this electric bus, Tata has partnered with Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) and State Transport Department.
Chandigarh administration is planning to introduce electric buses as the medium of public transport under its Smart City plan. As it seems, Tata Motors’ Ultra Electric bus could play an important role in that strategy. The automaker claims that this bus has capability to run more than 160 kilometre with on a fully charged battery.
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Not only Chandigarh, but Tata is also testing the electric bus Nagpur as well in a similar trial. The brand says that these trial runs are part of the company’s bigger strategy to be present in the Indian EV market with its offerings with best-in-class value proposition. With this, Tata Motors will be able to understand the customer requirements under different operating environments.
The Chandigarh trials show the Tata Ultra Electric bus can run around 143 kilometres with approximately 70% of the full charge. The company is testing two configuration models of the electric bus that come in length options of 9 metre and 12 metre offering different seating capacity. The 9 metre long bus comes with a seating capacity for 31 passengers.
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Not only electric bus, but Tata Motors is also preparing to introduce electric powertrain to its last mile passenger transport vehicle Magic Iris as well. This will certainly enhance the EV market further in the country considering the Magic Iris is a popular transport medium in various small cities and rural areas as well. Also, apart from fully electric bus, Tata is producing a 12 metre long hybrid bus and a 12 metre long hydrogen fuel-cell bus as well.