Jamshedpur June 19: Tata Motors has commenced trials of its 9 meters electric bus in Chandigarh. With a capacity to seat 31 passengers, the Tata Ultra ELECTRIC 9m bus will run for over 15-days, with the trial jointly carried out with Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) and the State Transport Department, with the Chandigarh administration having started the process of introducing electric buses in the city under its Smart City plan.
This is in continuation to the successful trial of the 9 meters electric bus trial from Parwanoo to Shimla a few weeks ago, where the bus performed exceedingly well covering a distance of 160 kms in one full charge. The initial trials in Chandigarh also show very encouraging results in a running of 143 kms, covering approximately 70% of the charge. The trials are part of the Ministry of Road Transport�s agenda for the electrification of public transport, for which Tata Motors is getting ready with its range of electric vehicles, from 9 meters and 12 meters with various seating configurations, as well as its last mile passenger transport vehicle, the Tata Magic Iris.
Dr. AK Jindal, Head, Engineering Research Centre, Tata Motors said, �Tata Motors is participating in similar trials currently under way in Nagpur, where these buses were flagged off very recently by Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Government of Maharashtra.
These trials are part of Tata Motors larger strategy to be present with its electric vehicle offerings, with best-in-class value proposition, helping the company better understand its customer requirements under different operating conditions, to suitably optimize its offerings.
Tata Motors is also working with various study groups formed by the central government to work out various business models for operating electric vehicles and to optimize the overall economics of these buses, for a truly Make in India solution.�