Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Trichy, which is famous for its manufacture of boilers for thermal power plants, has now decided to diversify into e-mobility. As part of its foray into the green transport sector, the firm plans to manufacture e-buses, a Times of India report says.

Sensing great business potential in this sector, BHEL has decided to partner with the National Institute of Technology, Trichy, to manufacture such buses. It plans to launch its first e-bus by March 2019. NIT will provide a complete digital solution for the manufacture of the e-bus with help from its state-of-the-art technological innovation centre, which has been set up in partnership with German tech giant Siemens.

A Memorandum of Agreement in this regard has been signed awarding five consultancy projects for a total value of Rs 1.2 crore.

The world is quickly moving towards green transport options, especially with the Narendra Modi government coming up with schemes such as FAME (Faster Adoption of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in India).

BHEL General Manager S Gowrishankar said that they were aiming at establishing a manufacturing facility within a period of two years. However, the production of the first e-bus will be facilitated by way of import of important parts from abroad.

BHEL had been in the news recently when Congress President Rahul Gandhi had asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not use BHEL’s mobile phones. BHEL does not manufacture mobile phones.

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