OHM Global Mobility, a subsidiary of commercial vehicle manufacturer Ashok Leyland, has secured an order for 500 12-meter ultra-low floor electric buses (e-buses) from the Chennai Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC).

Switch Mobility, another subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, will supply EiV12 model buses to OHM, which will then operate and maintain the buses for 12 years, per the contract MTC awarded.

A 650V electric architecture features IP67-rated batteries that power the SWITCH EiV12.

Out of the 500 buses, 100 buses are air-conditioned.

To ensure efficient operations, charging infrastructure will be developed at six key depots: Perumbur, Perumbakam, Poonamalle, Vyasapandi, Thondiapet, and KK Nagar. These charging hubs will ensure the e-buses can operate efficiently across the city, reducing downtime and enabling consistent service delivery.

Shenu Agarwal, MD & CEO of Ashok Leyland, said Switch already has over 950 vehicles in operation, and with this order, it has grown to 2,000 vehicles.

OHM is Ashok Leyland’s electric mobility arm, focused on the Mobility-as-a-Service business. The e-buses are designed to seat 37 passengers and have a range of 200 km per charge.

In September, the government approved the ‘‘PM-eBus Sewa-Payment Security Mechanism Program with an outlay of ₹34.35 billion ($409 million). The program will support the procurement and operation of over 38,000 e-buses from FY 2024-25 to FY 2028-29.

Since most buses currently operated by Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) run on diesel or CNG, the PM-eBus Sewa program encourages the shift to e-buses. PTAs will adopt a public-private partnership model under the gross cost contract approach, allowing original equipment manufacturers to procure and operate e-buses without requiring upfront payments from the PTAs.

In March, Convergence Energy Services invited bids to select an operator for the procurement, supply, operation, and maintenance of 3,132 e-buses and the development of allied electric and civil infrastructure on gross cost contracting under Pradhan Mantri (PM)-eBus Sewa initiative.