The plant is to have the capacity to produce 2,500 buses annually, but has been designed with the opportunity to double this, when required.

The new EiV 9 is a 9-metre, 16-ton gross vehicle weight low entry city bus, powered using a Permanent Magnet Synchronous AC Motor offering an output of 235Kw @ 1330 rev/min fitted with lithium ion NMC batteries in modular battery packs for different storage capacity options.

The ULE bus offers a gross vehicle weight (GVW) rating of 16t and is powered by Ashok Leyland’s H-series 6-cylinder 4-valve 184 kW (246 hp) rear engine matched with an automatic (Allison) transmission.

With two of an order for five Switch EiV 22 buses for Gujarat delivered, these are the first e-double deck buses to be delivered to Gujarat; others are already in service in Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Orders totalling 2,575 vehicles have been placed with the two OEMs.

"This endeavour seeks to enhance the skills and employability of these women, enabling them to pursue their dreams. This perfectly aligns with our brand philosophy of "Koi Manzil Door Nahin”," says Shenu Agarwal, Managing Director and CEO, Ashok Leyland.

GSRTC has had a long association with Ashok Leyland and has more than 2,600 buses in its fleet.

Ashok Leyland is the preferred supplier to Tamil Nadu’s STU with more than 18,000 of its buses in operation, comprising over 90% of the total fleet.

"Ashok Leyland’s mission to achieve Net Zero by year 2048 is one of the triggers to set up this plant in Uttar Pradesh."

Shenu Agarwal, MD and CEO, Ashok Leyland, said: "We are immensely proud to have secured these orders from the Indian Army. The Defence business has been a strong pillar of growth for us, and this win further establishes our leadership in Defence mobility vehicles business."

This product announcement follows on from a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for long-term collaboration signed in January 2022 to develop autonomous vehicles.

OHM Global Mobility is now a part of Switch Mobility, founded in 2020. It provides an end-to-end clean mobility financing technology platform that enables EV businesses to access institutional capital efficiently.