Pune-based EV firm, EKA Mobility has secured a letter of allotment (LoA) for the procurement, operation, and maintenance of 310 electric buses on gross cost contracting (GCC), from Convergence Energy Services, as part of its recently concluded tender for 6,465 e-buses.
The tender was rolled out by state-owned Convergence Energy Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services (EESL) under the National e-Bus program Phase 1.
As part of the order, EKA’s e-buses will be deployed by State Transport Units (STUs) in Haryana, Department of Transport, Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation for intra-city operations as part of the government’s efforts to provide clean, sustainable, and efficient transportation options for millions of people.
The deployment of these 310 e-buses for 12 years is expected to help reduce around 140,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
With this EKA says its order book has grown significantly, with more than 500 e-buses and over 5,000 electric light commercial vehicle (LCVs) orders in the pipeline.
Sudhir Mehta, Founder & Chairman, EKA by Pinnacle Mobility Solutions, said, “We are thrilled to have been selected by multiple state transport authorities to operate electric buses as part of the National e-Bus program Phase 1. This order is a testament to the fact that design and making in India is now a reality and is a viable alternative that can replace the Chinese products that are coming into the market. We would like to also laud the government’s continuous support and thrust toward green mobility. It has given the opportunity to startups and new entrants to bring innovation to the sector and become an OEM, in the segment that has been dominated by traditional OEMs for decades. We now look forward to ramping up our production, delivering our electric buses to the respective authorities, and continue transforming the mobility sector sustainably and profitably.”
The deployment of e-buses will create jobs and stimulate economic growth in the local areas where they will be operated. Eka Moblity says it is committed to working with local communities and governments to ensure that the deployment of electric buses is carried out smoothly and successfully.
The company has also developed a 9-meter city bus on a hydrogen fuel cell platform, that it says is uniquely designed and optimized to suit Indian road transportation needs. Going forward, the company plans to introduce multiple variants of electric and hydrogen fuel-cell buses, along with an e-LCV range.