First Electric Bus in Chennai launched by TN CM; Features listed here

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy introduced the first electric bus in Chennai, Secretariat as a part of measures to check air pollution on August 26 (Monday). The bus is battery-powered and air-conditioned and would be operated on specific routes by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation.

In March 2018, the Tamil Nadu state government signed the memorandum of understanding with the London-based 'C-40 Cities Climate Leadership Group'. The contract was signed in association with the Hinduja Group flagship firm Ashok Leyland.

The central government of India has given consent to operate 525 electric buses in 9 cities across  Tamil Nadu including Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, Erode, Tiruppur, Salem, Vellore and Thanjavur for public transport.

Reportedly the electric bus has a seating capacity for 32 people and has features such as automatic doors, air suspension and GPS facilities. On a single charge, the bus can travel up to 120 Km and it is equipped with fire detection and suppression system. According to the reports, the buses will run for 3-4 months as a part of the trial run.

The buses are said to be 'CIRCUIT' designed and engineered in India which is compatible for Indian road and load conditions and it is a zero-emission vehicle. Previously, Edappadi K Palaniswamy introduced an electric car 'KONA' that was manufactured by Korean-auto maker Hyundai.