Electric commercial vehicle maker EKA has received the Central Motor Vehicle Rules certification for its E9 electric bus from the Automotive Research Association of India, the company announced on Monday.
The certification is a critical step for the company to start trials and sales of the 9-metre electric bus in the coming months, EKA said in a statement.
A part of the automotive seating, interiors and speciality vehicle maker Pinnacle Industries, the Pune-based EKA unveiled its maiden 200 kW motor-powered e-bus in April this year.
EKA has completed all the required functional and safety testing and approvals to achieve the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) certification for its 9-metre E9 bus from ARAI, the company said.
Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) is the automotive testing body, affiliated with the Ministry of Industries and Public Enterprise.
"We started EKA with a vision to bring sustainable, reliable, and efficient mobility solutions, starting with the electrification of commercial vehicles, and public transport, especially the bus segment.
"Having passed all certification tests in this short time frame is an achievement by the whole team. We now look forward to ramping up our production and delivering our electric buses to our customers," said Sudhir Mehta, founder-Chairman, EKA.
A recent report has pegged domestic electric vehicle volume at over 10 million units by 2030, with an overall adoption rate of more than 30 per cent across different vehicle categories.
According to UITP, the international association of public transport, Indian cities are now returning to pre-Covid travel demand levels and as a result, many bus agencies across the country are undertaking large-scale electric bus procurement.
With a capacity to seat 31 passengers and a driver, along with a standing capacity, E9 also accommodates a wheelchair with a foldable ramp.
With a 200-kilometre range on a single charge, the vehicle is also fuel cell capable.
At the time of the launch of its CEV business, Pinnacle Industries had announced that EKA will roll out e-buses and vehicles for last-mile delivery.
EKA's product range will include commercial battery EVs, Plug-in Hybrid EVs, and Fuel Cell EVs (FCVs) and it will also have components assembly and manufacturing and EV traction energy storage systems, the company had earlier said.
