Olectra-BYD deploys electric buses for Sabarimala pilgrimage

Electric vehicle maker Olectra-BYD said Thursday it has deployed its 10 electric buses for Sabarimala pilgrimage to take pilgrims to the hill-top shrine in zero-emission vehicles.

It is the first company to deploy electric buses in Kerala under commercial operations in collaboration with the state road transport corporation, Olectra-BYD said in a statement.

A total of 10 electric buses will be deployed for travel to the shrine, with five buses being flagged off Thursday in Thiruvananthapuram by state Transport Minister A K Saseendran, the company said in a statement.

"We are sure that like other states, our 10 buses will repeat the success in Kerala as well. The eBuzz K7 has already proved its reliability as it has been successfully plying at a high altitude and steep gradient of 13,000 feet in Himachal Pradesh," Olectra Greentech Executive Director N Naga Satyam said.

The eBuzz K7 electric buses are manufactured in India by Olectra Greentech (Formerly Goldstone Infratech) in a strategic tie-up with China's BYD Auto Industry Co. Ltd.

The 9-meter air-conditioned low-floor buses have a capacity of 32+1 (driver) seats. The lithium-ion battery installed in the bus enables it to travel up to 250 kilometres in a single charge based on traffic conditions.