Ashok Leyland to build a new bus platform

Ashok Leyland, which recently had a new truck platform release at the Auto Expo in New Delhi has announced that it is now working on a new bus platform, which will offer a higher level of comfort and safety in public transportation. The flagship company of the Hinduja Group , Ashok Leyland is also holding discussions with certain agencies for orders of this product and is targeting government bodies, NGOs and the defence forces as prospective customers. Its bus portfolio includes high-floor buses comprising the Viking & Cheetah series, vestibule and double-decker buses, semi-low-floor buses, and airport transfer air-conditioned coaches.

Incidentally, the company has also announced its plans t roll out hybrid buses. Powered by two 65 kW electric motors and sporting a three-litre CNG (compressed natural gas) engine to charge the batteries only, it translates into 20-30 per cent fuel savings.

The Hybus offers an ultra low entry at 390 mm and a noise-free engine and has also incorporated pedestrian safety features such as sound and light alerts, camera-assisted reversing aid, while it has been designed to absorb impact on collision. Additionally, the company also showcased the 'iBus2', a bus designed as a mobile communication centre to be used as a healthcare unit or as a security control room. In an MoU with Cisco, the company has outfitted the bus with high-speed connectivity to provide tactical capabilities to specific customers. The bus can act as a mobile healthcare unit where a doctor in a city can check a patient being treated in the bus in some remote village through video conferencing. On the other hand, it can be outfitted as a security control room, where agencies can monitor developments close to the crisis area and stay connected with the base all the time.

At the same time the company has said it needs incentives and other facilities for future-ready buses. "We have tied up with the Delhi Government to provide three such buses for the upcoming Commonwealth Games this year .With the initiatives being launched by the Government to improve urban public transport, we expect subsidies to be announced soon for hybrid vehicles," said a senior representative of the company on the sidelines of launching of unveiling the country's first plug-in CNG hybrid bus- Hybus- at the Auto Expo in New Delhi. He added, "Everybody is looking for a subsidy, which is important to drive the popularity of such products. It won't be long before the Government will look for clean technology under initiatives such as JNNURM. He also stated that the lithium ion batteries in the Hybus can be charged from a normal 220V home socket in about eight-nine hours.

"For Indian cities where CNG is available, the Hybus is the greenest option with high performance, enhanced fuel efficiency and low greenhouse emissions. It heightens both economic and ecological gains, said R. Seshasayee, managing Director, Ashok Leyland.