Source : PTI | All-electric intercity bus services operator Fresh Bus on Tuesday announced signing an initial pact with Bengaluru-based energy-tech firm Exponent Energy and rolled out a sleeper e-bus fleet with a rapid charging facility.
The partnership plans to have 250 electric buses under this rapid-charging, long-range electric intercity bus platform, Fresh Bus said.
The company also said it aims to capture 10 per cent of India’s intercity market share by operating 10,000 EV buses, and this partnership with Exponent Energy is a monumental stride toward achieving that goal.
Fresh Bus is set to become India’s first and only intercity electric bus operator capable of deploying a 100 per cent all-sleeper EV fleet on long-distance routes, supported by Exponent Energy’s superfast charging capabilities, the company said.
Under this comprehensive partnership, Fresh Bus has committed to deploying up to 250 electric buses, supported by Exponent Energy’s rapid-charging platform and 1.5 MW charging infrastructure, the company said and added it will shortly commence services on the high-demand Hyderabad-Bengaluru corridor, marking the first phase of a planned pan-India expansion.
“This is a systems-level solution built for real-world intercity operations. Fast charging is inherently more efficient than simply adding oversized batteries. After two years of close collaboration and rigorous joint engineering with Exponent Energy, we’re ready to deploy at scale,” said Sudhakar Chirra, Founder & CEO, Fresh Bus.
According to the company, traditionally, intercity electric buses, often limited to an effective range of around 350 km, faced challenges with extended charging times.
“A 15-minute quick charge every 300 km during highway pitstops allows for diesel vehicle-like operations with all the benefits of EVs to the fleet operator, the passengers and the climate. We have developed the entire 1.5MW charging capability and rapid charging technology in India…” said Arun Vinayak, Founder & CEO of Exponent Energy.
