Olectra set to launch hydrogen buses

Hyderabad: Pioneers in the manufacturing of electric buses in India, Olectra Greentech Limited (OGL), a subsidiary of city-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) announced the development of its hydrogen buses. The e-bus maker aims at commercially launching these buses within a year.

The hydrogen bus, a carbon-free alternative to traditional public transportation, has been developed in technical partnership with Reliance. "In the wake of depletion of natural resources and the negative impacts of air pollution and emissions, Olectra has taken the initiative to accelerate the development of Hydrogen-powered buses. This initiative will help out the Indian Government to achieve its carbon-free hydrogen ambitions," the company said. The 12-metre low-floor bus has a customisable seating capacity of between 32 to 49 seats for passengers and one driver seat. The bus travels up to 400 km in a single hydrogen filling. It takes about 15 minutes to fill hydrogen for this range of coverage. "Olectra aims to contribute to the nation's environmentally sustainable energy security through its hydrogen buses. When it comes to emissions, these buses generate only water as tailpipe emissions. This is the main unique selling proposition for phasing out old diesel and petrol systems and replacing them with these green buses," the e-bus maker added.

When it comes to the system, type-four hydrogen cylinders are established on the top of the bus. Moreover, the cylinders can withstand temperatures between -20 and +85 degrees Celsius.