Mr. Debashis Sen, Chairman – HIDCO flagging off operations of the electric buses

Mr. Debashis Sen, IAS, Hon’ble Addl. Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal & Chairman -cum- Managing Director, of West Bengal Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (WB HIDCO) inaugurated the electric bus facility and announced the official ‘start of operations’ for the electric buses for public transport. These three electric buses is the beginning of sustainable public transportation in New town Kolkata and WB HIDCO will positively look towards increasing its electric bus fleet in the near future.

The electric buses will ply in New Town Kolkata on 3 routes covering 49 stops. They will operate in 2 shifts i.e. from 8 am to 12 noon and 4 pm to 8 pm.

KPIT has created the necessary infrastructure at the New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) bus terminus to maintain the buses. The facility includes, bus bays, charging stations, a maintenance office, workshop and a maintenance pit.

Dedicated facility for electric buses

Bus bays with charging stations

The ‘Skyline Pro-E’ electric buses are manufactured at Eicher Trucks & Buses’ state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Indore, Madhya Pradesh where KPIT’s indigenously developed electrification technology, ‘REVOLO’ is integrated on Eicher’s industry leading bus platform – ‘Skyline Pro’.

REVOLO is an innovative versatile electrification technology that can be applied to a large range of buses and other vehicle designs. It has been designed and developed in-house by KPIT. REVOLO has an unique architecture which allows it to operate on a lower voltage. It also does significant regeneration to have the maximum possible range with the smallest possible battery. The system is modular and designed for Indian conditions.

With the electrification technology and the buses being developed in India, these vehicles truly embody the ‘Made in India, for India’ promise.

Salient Features of Eicher Skyline Pro -E Smart Electric Bus

• Zero Emission
• Range of 177 kms on a single charge with AC
• Best-in-class intelligent transport system
• 9 metres long, air-conditioned buses
• 36% regeneration leading to less than 0.8 electricity units/km
• Compliant to highest safety standards, including ‘Nail Penetration’ test for batteries
• Top Up Charger for enroute charging

Skyline Pro – E electric bus powered by REVOLO