Ashok Leyland to supply 500 Switch EiV12 electric buses to MTC Chennai

Ashok Leyland’s e-mobility (MaaS) business arm shall maintain and operate the 12-metre Switch EiV12 electric buses for a period of 12 years as per MTC’s awarded contract.

As per the latest e-bus contract award of Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), Ashok Leyland’s subsidiary OHM Global Mobility has won an order for 500 units of 12-m ultra-low floor electric buses to ply in the city of Chennai.

The bus maker’s EV brand Switch Mobility will deliver its EiV12 battery-electric buses to its sister concern OHM, which focuses on Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) business model. The latter will maintain and operate the electric buses for a defined period of 12 years on behalf of MTC.

According to the bus maker, about 400 of these electric buses will be non-AC variants, while the remaining 100 are air-conditioned buses. The low-floor buses can seat 37 passengers, with an additional capacity for 24 standee passengers.

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Designed specifically for markets like India, the Switch EiV12 buses are powered by 650V electric architecture features IP67-rated batteries of Lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) chemistry. A Permanent Magnet Synchronous AC motor of 235 kW peak power and 3,100 Nm torque drives the wheels of the buses.

As per the manufacturer’s claim, the EiV12 offers a driving range of up to 300 kms per single charge. With a dual-gun charging, the buses can be operated for a maximum range of 500 kms per day intermittent charging. Fast-charging take 1.5 to 3 hours to fully recharge the battery pack of the electric bus.

To ensure efficient operations for MTC, OHM will be establishing charging infrastructure at six key depots, namely Perumbur, Perumbakam, Poonamalle, Vyasapandi, Thondiapet, and KK Nagar.

Further, Switch Mobility is equipping these battery buses with its proprietary technology solution ‘SWITCH iON’ for remote, real-time diagnostics and monitoring, including digital battery management tools, for the ease of operators to ensure maximum uptime.

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As far as MTC is concerned, this is the first time that the state-owned city operator is awarding an e-bus contract under third-party maintenance and operation. For electric buses that requires consistent technical and operational support, the MaaS model can be beneficial for STUs, at least in the initial phases of e-bus adoption.