Ashok Leyland partners ABB Power Products for electric bus development

Hinduja Group flagship firm Ashok Leyland and ABB Power Products and Systems India on Thursday announced a partnership for co-operation in public electric mobility space with plans to develop electric bus that can be charged within seconds.

The partnership aims to expand eco-system for efficient and greener electric bus transportation systems in India, the companies said in a statement.

The partners aim to develop a pilot electric bus based on ABB's innovative 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," the statement said.

Commenting on the development, ABB Power Products and Systems India Managing Director N Venu said, "We are pushing the boundaries of e-mobility with our flash-charging technology TOSA for buses to contribute to a cleaner, greener, and sustainable future."

The aim is to provide zero local emission mass public transportation bus system with high passenger capacity, he added.

Ashok Leyland Chief Technology Officer N Saravanan said to stay competitive in domestic and global markets, the company is joining hands with ABB to use their world-renowned TOSA technology on e-buses to take forward the vision of expanding in the EV space.

"This solution of the flash charge technology (TOSA), which enables charging the battery in seconds, is another example of us delivering on our brand promise of 'Aapki Jeet. Hamari Jeet'," he added.

ABB's TOSA is the world's fastest flash-charging connection technology, which at select passenger stops connects bus to charging infrastructure and in 15 seconds batteries are charged with a 600-kilowatt power boost.

An additional few minutes charge at the final terminal enables a full recharge without interrupting the bus schedule, the statement said.