Starting June 1st, GreenCell Mobility, offering electric mobility as a service platform, would run the first intercity e-bus for Maharashtra Regional State Transport (MSRTC) from Pune.
Marking the commemoration day of MSRTC’s foundation, the bus would be running on the Pune- Ahmednagar route. These electric buses, dubbed 'Shivai', will be introduced across the state in stages.
GreenCell Mobility would be deploying 50 such electric buses for intercity travel across Maharashtra for MSRTC in the cities of Pune, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Nasik and Solapur soon.
Ashok Agarwal, MD& CEO, GreenCell Mobility, on the occasion said, "Using e-buses, the aim is to promote green and sustainable public transport in the state. We are very happy to partner with MSRTC in this effort and look forward to providing passengers with a comfortable, safer, and greener way of travel."
GreenCell Mobility will create 'green routes' with twelve-meter buses in the state. Over time, 10 buses will ply between Pune and Aurangabad as an extension of the Pune- Ahmednagar route, while 12 buses will run on the Pune – Kolhapur route, 18 buses will operate between Pune – Nasik and 10 buses between Pune- Solapur.
These buses will be able to run 250 km on a single charge and will be fitted with a Li-ion battery with fast charging capability (90-120 minutes). The buses will have standard luxury coaches suitable for local transport along with air-conditioned cabins. A total of 3,743 tons of CO2 zero tailpipe emissions would be avoided over the lifetime of these buses.
Electric bus adoption has gained traction in India and multiple cities with state governments have embarked on the journey of electrifying their bus-based transport system. This has been further accelerated by the Government of India’s Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India (FAME) Phase–II scheme.
