Tata Motors bets big on electric buses as firm bags order for 255 units from various states; to supply 80 e-vehicles to Bengal govt

Kolkata: Tata Motors Ltd is eyeing big business from electric buses after it bagged orders for supplying 255 units to various state transport unions across the country, a company official said on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_4338547” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters.[/caption] Rohit Srivastava, product line head (passenger commercial vehicles) of Tata Motors said that the commercial vehicles business of the company is seeing considerable growth and presently enjoying a market share of 45 percent in the segment. “We have seen growth in the past. Now, we are developing products to address the segments where we are not present,” Srivastava told reporters here. He said that the Centre has been giving 60 percent subsidy to the state governments for purchasing electric buses  while the balance is to be paid by the respective states. “We see e-buses as a segment getting a lot of boost. We are in touch with all the states,” he said. Tata Motors manufactures e-buses at its Dharwad facility in Karnataka with an initial capacity of producing 125 units a month, which can be ramped up to 200, the official said. The company is in the process of supplying 80 e-buses to the West Bengal Transport Corporation, he said.