Tata Motors launched the future of mass public
transportation at its Pune facility and took another step in the direction of
green technology and mobility solutions. The company launched the Starbus
Electric 9m, Starbus Electric 12m and the Starbus Hybrid 12m range of buses
which are designed, developed, powered by alternate fuels and made in India.
The company says will be a good for smart cities. The company also showcased
the country's first Fuel Cell bus (12m), LNG Powered bus (12m), and an 18m
Articulated bus.
The Hydrogen Powered Starbus Fuel Cell bus is a
zero-emission mass transport solution, for inter-city commute and has been
developed in partnership with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).
Combining hydrogen gas and oxygen, the fuel cell produces electricity to power
the electric motor, with water and heat as a byproduct.
This is the first time
an Indian manufacturer has ventured in this direction. As far as Electric buses
are concerned, Tata Motors finds a rival in the form of Ashok Leyland who
recently revealed the Circuit series of all-electric buses which was in fact
India's first of its kind.
The company has already extensively tested the CNG
hybrid buses across the country in cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Surat and
we first saw them in New Delhi during the 2010 Commonwealth games.
It was just last year that the company signed a
contract for the single largest order for Hybrid Electric vehicle technology,
with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), to supply 25
units of the Starbus Diesel Hybrid electric bus with Full Low floor
configuration. These buses will be delivered in the first quarter of FY2017-18
and will connect Sion, Bandra & Kurla to Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).
