India’s public transportation infrastructure desperately needs modern technology and funding. Even though the country’s economy has increased dramatically in recent years, the country’s transportation networks have concentrated mainly on private vehicles. Electric buses would play a significant part in modernizing India’s public transportation system.
JBM’s goal in India is to build the complete supplier value chain and develop all skills domestically.
In India, the electric vehicle industry is just getting started. It necessitates significant investment in skills development, power infrastructure, industry–academic collaborations, and stimulating R&D to build and design in India.
India’s electric vehicle potential has spawned a slew of entrepreneurs that are revolutionizing various industries. To achieve the government’s lofty aspirations of becoming a significant participant in the EV market, automakers will need to band together and collaborate on global products and solutions. Here is an excerpt from an interaction with JBM Vice-Chairman and MD Nishant Aarya.
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JBM Group is consciously working toward developing in-house, end-to-end capabilities in the e-mobility domain right from generation to the consumption of green energy in powering e-vehicles.
Our focus is to be a one-stop solution provider in the Electric Vehicles segment by providing a complete ecosystem solution for E-mobility, i.e., Electric Bus, Battery Technology, Charging Infrastructure, and Operating Pattern. By way of its in-house R&D centers, we offer an entire range of activities right from design, development, engineering, prototyping to testing and validation. Thus, JBM is positioned to provide complete green ecosystem solution.
Having operating experience across the pan-India for multiple applications, whether in north-west or south, we have been closely seen that how a vehicle surpassed most of the industry standard, since we have been pioneer in the electric buses, and we have been working with all the key stakeholders across the country in terms of STUs (State Road Transport Undertakings) with the private operators, or the key technology players as well as our supplier partners.
We have developed more than 40 to 50 companies in India for EV supply chain, and then we are also looking at the best-in-class technology in house R&D, for battery technology, vehicles technology, and charging echo-technology. We are also closely watching how we can give the most energy efficient system to our customers and to the end users.
BSVI orders post Covid-19
We have worked for BSVI for the Delhi and NCR regions and supplied buses to Gurgaon, Delhi. We have started our electric buses journey from Ahmadabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, and Andaman & Nicobar.
Our buses are successfully serving the masses in many other states as well, such as Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, UP, and Andaman & Nicobar, among others. We have also seen is that during the Covid period all of us have understood the importance of health and environment so we have been constantly forming on enhancing awareness for all consumers, today we see that with more than 50 million electric kilometers have been clocked across the country. We have a very strong experience credentials under our best and in the last here year we have worked in all kind of cities with huge density population with longer routes with high traffic condition and with multiple overloading condition and that is what is the true testimony of the performance of the products across the range.
We have a very large market share and the highest market share in most of them which clearly demonstrate the need of the hours, which are zero emissions vehicles. JBM has the best in class zero emission electric vehicles for public transportation.
Sustainability roadmap and efficiency of electric Buses
Our buses are Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV), and will save around 1000 equivalent tons of carbon dioxide and 350,000 liters of diesel over 10 years of operation.
Going ahead, we foresee a 100% growth in the electric bus business. India’s electric vehicle market is predicted to develop exponentially to about $200 billion by 2030.
The Eco-Life comes with an electronic braking system and innovative electric drive system. For drivers, the ergonomically designed touch-screen dashboard provides an intuitive and user-friendly system that allows drivers to concentrate on driving without distractions.
Eco-Life comes with lithium batteries that are chargeable through a fast plug-in charging system. Offering a completely flexible solution, the electric bus technology is adaptable to the city bus operation depending on demographic and geographic conditions.
Powered by fast-charging lithium batteries, it can run 125-150km on a single charge, depending on the city’s traffic conditions. We have a long journey to ensure zero emission public transport solutions and electric buses would be a catalyst.
Our vehicles are compatible with the life of 15 year. We provide ever through customer may be for 10-12 years and the robustness and the rugged products which we are giving a very good mileage and we are clearly able to see that the battery life of five to seven years.
JBM has its sister concern which is provide the lithium Battery pack and also we have our own power electronic-know how cause to 500 plus engineers in our R&D in India and abroad.
They give us a very strong foundation of making state of the art products and technology driving value, so technology is the key focus of our area. We have given more than 75 upgrades and update in the last three years.
Safety aspect of the product line
JBM brand is quality for life and that is something which is a basis hygienic we give to all our customers. These buses are equipped with all high-tech features such as real time Passenger Information System (PIS), panic buttons for emergency, automatic bus vehicle location system, CCTV cameras, public address system and stop request buttons, among others. Our buses have several safety features including an EBS, ABS, EBD and traction control. JBM brand stand for and JBM Eco-life is at the apex level of safety, quality and sustainability in term of the whole market in India. Safety features such as CCTV cameras have been installed inside the bus that will aid in the surveillance of activities inside it. Our each and every bus goes after a rigorously, strong validation and testing of close to a million of kilometer virtual on the road testing. We are always trying to bring the world-class quality in our vehicles and that is something which is the testimony of the JBM brand.
Our main motive is to give the customers have a seamless and trouble free experience luxury ride, like comfort highest level of safety and really reliability and durability of the products.
A Review of current year and future plan
The Electric Vehicle segment is an opportunity area for India. Having gone through the lockdown phase, people are now more focused toward their health, safety, and environmental sustainability. The lockdown has had a positive impact on the environment and climate with air and water getting cleaner and fresher, which needs to be sustained.
Thus, as responsible citizens and corporates, focus will be more on new technologies such as electric vehicles. Various government schemes that were announced in the recently, will stand beneficial to promote localization by way of collaboration between the various EV and EV ecosystem players, thereby, reducing the dependence on imports.
Year 2022 has been a fantastic year for our customers. Post Covid, we have realized how important is for them to continue toward sustainability. We the nation building clearly seen from well to wheel how generation to consumption everything is green and we have a very strong order to working with different customer delivering buses in all parts of India. Whether it is Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Bangalore, among other cities to private customers. Well to Wheel is helping to drive our initiatives in sustainability and green manufacturing. Our multiple businesses are synergized for a seamless solution, from the generation to consumption of clean energy and aids toward building this ecosystem as an end to end in-house solution. We are looking to invest Rs 500 crore in vehicles technology, battery technology and charging technology.