Pune-based commercial electric mobility company EKA Mobility has secured an order from Nagpur Municipal Corporation to supply 250 electric buses.

The company did not disclose the order’s financial details.

The deployment contract was awarded to Hansa Vahan, which has partnered with EKA Mobility.

Under the agreement, EKA will manufacture and deliver 12-meter air-conditioned electric buses to Hansa Travels and provide maintenance services for the fleet during the contract period. Each bus is designed to seat 41 passengers, with space for 24 standing.

Rohit Srivastava, Chief Growth Officer at EKA Mobility, emphasized that this collaboration with NMC aligns with India’s broader goal of adopting cleaner energy in public transportation. Electric vehicle (EV) sales in India reached 332,730 units in the third quarter of 2024, a decline of over 11% year-over-year against the 372,387 units sold in the same period of 2023, according to data released by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways through its Vahan Dashboard

In September, the Union Cabinet approved the ‘PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Program’. The program, with an outlay of ₹34.35 billion ($409 million), will support the procurement and operation of over 38,000 electric buses from FY 2024-25 to FY 2028-29.

In March, the Ministry of Heavy Industries launched the Electric Mobility Promotion Program 2024 with a funding of ₹5 billion (~$60.34 million). The program, which ran from April 1, 2024, to  July 31, 2024, targeted electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers, including e-rickshaws, e-carts, and L5 category vehicles.

In August last year,  the Union Cabinet approved the ‘PM-eBus Sewa’ program, under which 10,000 electric buses will be deployed across the nation. The program has a budget of ₹576.13 billion (~$6.9 billion). The program focuses on cities with a population of 300,000 and above per the 2011 census, encompassing all union territory capitals, the northeastern region, and the hilly states.