Volvo delivers India’s first hybrid bus
Mumbai: Volvo Buses India Pvt Ltd, the local arm of the Swedish bus and truck maker delivered the first hybrid bus in India. It’s the first bus maker to commercially deploy the technology in India.
The company announced this on the sidelines of Make in India event in Mumbai. The bus has been certified by the Automotive Research Association of India.
The company will be delivering a batch of first five buses to Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport Corp in a couple of weeks, said company’s officials at a press meet.
The Volvo hybrid solution claims to save at least 30 to 35% fuel and reduce 50% hazardous emissions in actual customer operations.
It comprises of a parallel hybrid system that constitutes of a five litre, four cylinder, inline diesel engine and ab electric motor. It is propelled purely on electric mode right from the time it starts till it gains the required momentum. The batteries get charged during operations by the regenerative brake system.
The government’s National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP), intends to put seven million electric and hybrid vehicles on the road by 2020.
The FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles) scheme, part of the NEMMP has prompted manufacturers to launch full and micro hybrid models. Some of the notable ones include the Toyota Camry hybrid and the Mauti Ciaz hybrid. The SMEV doesn’t compile sales data on hybrid models.
As part of the subsidy scheme, depending on the speed and efficiency of the vehicles, buyers of electric and hybrid vehicles have been getting an upfront discount equal to one-third of the difference between the price of that particular vehicle and a comparable petrol model.
The manufacturers get reimbursed by the Centre for the discount in 60-90 days. The higher the efficiency of the vehicle, the bigger the subsidy.
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