Veera Vahana, a leading player in the bus industry has partnered with Exponent Energy, an energy-tech company to launch a 15-minute rapid charging long-haul intercity electric bus.
The ‘Veera Mahasamrat EV’ powered by Exponent is the world’s first 13.5m electric bus on 2-axles and is equipped with Exponent’s 320 kWh battery pack enabling a virtually unlimited range with 15-minute rapid charging on the go via Exponent’s 1MW charging network, the company said in a statement.
“Additionally, a battery warranty of 6,00,000 km or 3000 battery life cycles, paves the way for better financing options and ease of ownership,” it said.
According to the company, Veera Mahasamrat EV represents a game-changing advancement for fleet owners, reducing their operating expenses by 30 per cent compared to an ICE bus.
“For the first time, with 15-minute rapid charging and the Exponent charging network along highways, bus operators can now go electric on long-haul inter-city routes without having to worry about range and long charging time,” it added.
Currently, the two companies are focused on electrifying the Bengaluru – Hyderabad route. To support operations, Exponent Energy will deploy four 1 MW charging stations – two at each endpoints and two along the highway – this will ensure bus operators can seamlessly shift from ICE to electric with the same experience of number of stops and downtime per stop.
“Today, electric buses are restricted to short-haul or intracity operations due to limited range and long charging time. It’s difficult to package a single battery to deliver 600km of range and with long charging time – customers are not willing to wait for an hour along the highway. Typically, diesel buses stop every 300 km for 15-20 minutes and our unique partnership with Exponent mimics the same experience. Now, bus operators can seamlessly switch to electric with the Veera Mahasamrat EV and save more in their operations,” K. Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director, Veera Vahan said.
The company’s technology stack manages each cell’s characteristics through its BMS, charging algorithms, and thermal management using its proprietary off-board thermal management system – where the charging station actively pumps coolant to the battery while charging to maintain optimal temperature and thus delivering consistent performance even at ambient temperatures as high as 50°C.
Commenting on the announcement, Arun Vinayak, Co-founder & CEO of Exponent Energy stated, “We are building the world’s third 1 MW charging technology – after Tesla & Siemens – in India, for India. With freedom and accessibility delivered by 15-minute rapid charging and the Exponent network, we are committed to enabling all of India to go electric.”
