Veera Vahana has announced a long-haul intercity electric bus that can rapidly charge for 15 minutes. The announcement was made in collaboration with the energy-tech startup, Exponent Energy. The first 13.5-meter electric bus with two axles in the world is the “Veera Mahasamrat EV,” powered by Exponent. With Exponent’s 320 kWh battery pack installed, it has an almost limitless range and can be quickly charged on-the-go in 15 minutes using the company’s 1MW charging network. Furthermore, a battery guarantee of 6,000 000 km or 3000 cycles of battery life opens the door to easier financing choices and ownership convenience.
For fleet owners, the Veera Mahasamrat EV is a game-changing innovation since it lowers operating costs by 30 per cent when compared to an ICE bus. With the Exponent charging network along highways and 15-minute rapid charging, bus operators can finally go electric on long-haul intercity routes without worrying about range or lengthy charging times.
The two businesses are currently concentrating on electrifying the Bengaluru–Hyderabad corridor. In order to facilitate operations, Exponent Energy plans to install four 1 MW charging stations: two at each endpoint and two on the highway. This will guarantee that bus operators may convert smoothly from internal combustion engine to electric vehicle operation, with the same number of stops and downtime experienced at each stop.
Customers are not prepared to spend an hour on the highway, according to K. Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director of Veera Vahan, who celebrated the announcement. He stated that it is challenging to package a single battery to give 600 km of range and with a long charging period. Diesel buses typically halt for fifteen to twenty minutes every 300 kilometers; their special collaboration with Exponent replicates this experience.
Through its BMS, charging algorithms, and proprietary off-board thermal management system, the company’s technology stack carefully controls each cell’s characteristics. With this system, the charging station actively pumps coolant to the battery during charging in order to maintain optimal temperature and thus deliver consistent performance even at ambient temperatures as high as 50°C.
Arun Vinayak, co-founder and CEO of Exponent Energy, commented on the news by saying that they are thrilled to work with seasoned bus industry veteran Veera Vahana to genuinely electrify the long-haul intercity bus business.
As leaders in the EV industry, Veera and Exponent are dedicated to advancing mobility and influencing its future via cooperation and innovation.
