The “Veera Mahasamrat EV,” unveiled by Veera Vahana and Exponent Energy, is billed as the first intercity bus in the world with a 15-minute charging time. The electric bus is intended to use Exponent’s 1 MW charging technology to quickly charge in 15 minutes.
The businesses claim that this is the first 13.5-meter electric vehicle bus on two axles in the world and that it is outfitted with Exponent’s 320-kWh battery pack. A 6-lakh-kilometer or 3-thousand-cycle battery warranty is reportedly offered for the bus.
The companies say they are concentrating on long-distance intercity travel, and the Bengaluru – Hyderabad route is where they will start. Along this road, Exponent intends to add four charging stations.
According to the announcement, the Veera Mahasamrat EV could potentially reduce operating expenses for fleet owners by 30% compared to an ICE bus. The companies suggest that with 15-minute rapid charging and the Exponent charging network along highways, bus operators may be able to use electric vehicles on long-haul inter-city routes without concerns about range and long charging times.
To support operations on the Bengaluru – Hyderabad route, Exponent Energy plans to deploy four 1 MW charging stations – two at each endpoint and two along the highway. The companies state that this setup aims to allow bus operators to transition from ICE to electric vehicles while maintaining a similar experience in terms of number of stops and downtime per stop.
Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director of Veera Vahan, is quoted as saying that electric buses are currently restricted to short-haul or intracity operations due to limited range and long charging time. He suggests that their partnership with Exponent aims to mimic the experience of diesel buses, which typically stop every 300 km for 15-20 minutes.
The announcement describes Exponent’s technology stack as managing each cell’s characteristics through its BMS, charging algorithms, and thermal management using a proprietary off-board thermal management system. This system is said to actively pump coolant to the battery while charging to maintain optimal temperature, aiming to deliver consistent performance even at ambient temperatures as high as 50°C.
Arun Vinayak, Co-founder & CEO of Exponent Energy, is quoted as expressing excitement about the partnership with Veera Vahana. He states that they have built what they claim to be the world’s third 1 MW charging technology, after Tesla & Siemens, in India for India.