Switch fulfils JSW Group’s order for all-electric aluminium buses to transport employees

Switch Mobility Ltd., the exemplary innovator of lightweight aluminium buses that run on electricity, has successfully collaborated with the JSW Group to deliver 71 of its flagship models for employee transportation across the Indian sub-terrain. These SWITCH EiV 12 buses have been specially formulated keeping in mind the Indian public transport sector. 

These carbon-neutral electric buses are to be assembled for JSW’s Vijayanagar plant and can be referred to as the first major electric bus order for Switch in the country. The lightweight commercial vehicle maker will also look after the entire development, installing charging facilities and reconnoitering maintenance needs.  

The contract signed by Switch requires the company to continue with all the services for 12 years, as the company confirmed in a media release.

Switch buses are comprised of a rigid aluminium body that can reduce the carbon footprint left by each bus at the end of its life. Aluminium is infinitely recyclable, and this property makes the non-ferrous metal an irreplaceable raw material for the aviation, construction, or automobile industry.

Moreover, being an all-electric vehicle, SWITCH EiV 12s are equipped with modular batteries having advanced lithium-ion NMC chemistry that has been specially crafted for Indian climatic conditions. The electric batteries and drivetrains have been tuned to provide augmented efficiency with extended battery life, decreasing the actual cost of the whole model, and making Switch vehicles affordable and preferred in the Indian automobile sector.

The first shipment of electric buses was flagged-off by the Chairman and Managing Director of JSW Group of companies, Sajjan Jindal, and the Global CEO of Switch Pvt Ltd., Mahesh Babu.

Mahesh Babu said, “The private bus market in India is one of the key transportation markets in the country, constituting 70% market share, of which the private electric bus market is expected to be valued at INR 60 billion in the next five years. With the positive reception to Switch EiV 12, we are glad to enter the employee transportation space and be a part of the sustainable journey with JSW Steel. This partnership with JSW is an important milestone for Switch Mobility as we deliver our first and largest private bus order in the country. I would like to thank the management of JSW for their trust in our Switch products. We are in talks with more corporates across the country who are showing keen interest in joining hands in this sustainable journey’’.

The Switch EiV 12 features the company’s high-end connected technology solution, ‘Switch iON’, that allows real-time or remote diagnostics and monitoring of the buses’ internal operations. In fact, these aluminium buses are loaded with digital battery management tools that are the best in the world. The EV design of these buses has been derived from the European Switch e1 models by the company, the press release notified.

To effectively run safe operations, Switch is on a quest to select 200 employees who will help the company run its business smoothly. The release also mentioned that this aligns with the automobile makers’ ploy of heightening the workforce by 30 per cent in the next five years.