Tata Motors delivers 26 AC electric buses to Mumbai's BEST

Tata Motors on Friday delivered 26 AC electric buses to Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) as part of an order for 340 e-buses under the central government's FAME-II scheme.

The 25-seater state-of the art Ultra Urban 9/9 e-AC buses were flagged off by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at an event in South Mumbai, Tata Motors said in a release.

The delivery of the first batch of the buses marks the commencement of the first-ever Gross Cost Contract (GCC) electric bus service to BEST, it said.

The buses are delivered as part of the larger order of 340 e-buses from BEST under the government's FAME-II initiative, with the rest lined up to be delivered in a phased manner as per schedule, the company stated.

Tata Motors will be undertaking to build, deploy, maintain and operate the complete charging infrastructure along with the buses across four Mumbai depots of Backbay, Worli, Malvani and Shivaji Nagar, it added.

"Tata Motors is delighted to have delivered the first (batch) 26 of the 340 electric buses for the city of Mumbai. The buses have been specially designed keeping the comfort and convenience of Mumbaikars including a "lift mechanism" for differently-abled travellers," said Girish Wagh, President, Commercial Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors.

Tata Motors' global standards of manufacturing processes and vehicle development centres have helped in innovating and leading the electric mobility solutions from the front, he said, adding that the company will continue to play a proactive role in the government's electrification drive.

The e-buses are equipped with advanced features such as a lift mechanism that extends an automated ramp for easy ingress and egress of specially-abled passengers, along with ergonomic seats, roomy interiors, utility provisions like charging ports, WiFi hotspot for on-the-go connectivity, and wide entry and exit passages.

Besides, the buses also come with Intelligent Transport System (ITS), telematics system, regenerative braking system, amongst other features, for efficient and smooth operations, Tata Motors said.

The buses have been tested and validated by Tata Motors across states, including Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Assam and Maharashtra, to establish performance in diverse terrains, according to the automaker.

Under the group's unique 'One Tata' initiative, Tata Power will be contributing by taking complete charge of upstream and downstream electrical facilities including supplies, and will also be responsible for the complete bus charging facility, the release said.

Tata Auto Components will undertake collaborations, design, development, sourcing, and supply of select components to Tata Motors under the initiative, the company said.