Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), Chennai’s public transport operator, has just welcomed 130 new electric buses to its fleet, including 80 units on 15 routes from Alandur depot and 50 units on ten routes from Central depot. The new buses were procured for 2.345 billion rupees (approx. 21 million euros), the state government said in a public statement.
The latest 130 electric buses form the first batch of a larger order totalling 750 low-floor electric buses, including 500 specified units with air-conditioning and 250 specified without. The public transport operator plans to procure this entire fleet at a total cost of 13.37 billion rupees (approx. 120 million euros), which will be operated through seven depots.
The state government confirmed that the 130 electric buses are part of 500 units configured with air conditioning. A Times of India report stated that Ashok Leyland subsidiary Switch Mobility supplied the first batch, and images from the flag-off ceremony suggest it comprises the EiV12 twelve-metre model. The company manufactures the EiV12 in staff, intercity, tarmac, and low-floor versions and appears to have supplied the low-floor version to MTC.
The EiV12 low-floor has a 400 mm floor height and accommodates up to 39 seated passengers and up to 24 standing passengers. It features a 235 kW motor that gives it a top speed of 75 kph and a 283 kWh LFP battery pack that delivers a range of up to 200 kilometres. Switch Mobility offers the EiV12 with features such as a power-operated wheelchair ramp, real-time vehicle monitoring, CCTV cameras, automatic passenger counting, and dual-gun fast-charging capability.
