Ashok Leyland’s Brand New Low Floor Electric Bus (On Test) Spotted near CHENNAI
Ashok Leyland's 12m SLF (Low Floor) Electric bus spotted on its test drive near Surapattu Toll, Madhavaram, Chennai.
We all know, Ashok Leyland, flagship of Hinduja Group, and ABB Power Products and Systems India have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the public e-mobility space to expand the eco-system for efficient and greener electric bus transportation systems in India.
As per the agreement, Ashok Leyland will develop new electric buses using ABB's flash-charge technology, TOSA, which tops up the battery in just seconds while passengers get on and off the bus. "This avoids the need to take the vehicle out of service for recharging every few hours or having a replacement bus ready, thus minimising the size of the fleet while increasing passenger carrying capacity," ABB India said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.
The company said that Indian government is promoting the use of electric vehicles (EVs) and planning to reach 30 per cent penetration of EVs by 2030. However, the switch to electric is a big ask for operators. "Their primary challenge with battery-operated buses is to maximise passenger load carrying capacity and running time to make the whole operation economically viable as well as sustainable for the future."
To solve this problem, Ashok Leyland will develop and manufacture electric buses with ABB's TOSA technology along with operational support and service. TOSA is a flash-charging connection technology that lets cities reduce the environmental pollution of their transit systems without affecting passenger capacity or journey times.
The TOSA (Trolleybus Optimisation Système Alimentation) bus planned to be running a full bus route in the city of Geneva takes only 15 seconds to charge during stationing time at a bus stop. In the time that it takes for passengers to get on and off the bus, a laser-guided arm sends 600 kW straight into onboard lightweight batteries with a brand-new flashing technology developed by engineers at ABB, a leading global technology company in power and automation. The charge allows for the propulsion until the next bus / next charging station.
