Urban Transport Infrastructure November 2018 Urban Transport Infra November 2018 | Page 48

Interview
We think electric mobility for public transportation
should start in India: Naga Satyam, ED, OGL
Olectra Greentech Limited (OGL),
previously known as Goldstone
Greentech,
ventured
into
manufacturing, assembly, sales and
after-sales services of BYD electric
buses in India in 2016. OGL has a
strategic partnership with China-based
BYD Auto Industry Company Limited,
which is a leading manufacturer of
electric vehicles, power battery, EV
chargers and complete electrified
public transportation solutions for
more than 200 cities, in over 48
countries, 6 Continents, having
production facilities globally. Mr.
Naga Satyam., Executive Director -
OGL reveals that the company has
already launched its electric bus
models in the Indian market and
perceives its competitors as its partners
in electric mobility in the country.
Below are the edited excerpts:
What prompted you to ally with BYD
for e-buses and what has been the
journey so far?
Mr. Naga Satyam: Our association
with
BYD
started
in
mid-
2015.
Initially, BYD was also
exploring various options (for a local
WWW.URBANTRANSPORTNEWS.COM
partnership) to enter the Indian
market. We were also very curious
about electric mobility. So initially
we went for a marketing partnership
and the agreement was for five
southern states and Himachal
(Pradesh). Slowly and steadily we
gained
confidence
in
the
market. Then an opportunity came
to participate in one of the tenders in
Maharashtra i.e. there was a tender
for six electric buses. BEST Mumbai
was the first tender in the country for
electric buses in the year 2016. When
we had won the tender, the
relationship between the partners also
grew (as) there is a potential market
(for e-buses). Then we went for a
pan-India participation. Thereafter,
we won another crucial contract in
HP in the end of 2016. After
garnering two contracts, we proposed
BYD to assemble and manufacture
these buses under the ‘Make-in-India’
programme in order to be cost
competitive to which BYD had
readily agreed.
So far, we have
supplied 31 electric buses, which are
commercially running on (Indian)
roads out of which six (has been
48
Naga Satyam
Executive Director
Olectra Greentech Limited
delivered) to BEST Mumbai and 25
to HP. Now, all the buses sold here
are locally-assembled. Then in 2017,
there was a big electric push by the
government of India when they
included Electric Buses in the FAME
scheme. The fastest way to go for
electric mobility in the country is
public transportation, wherein you
don’t need to struggle to develop
infrastructure (charging stations)
because they are parked at bus
depots.
Urban Transport Infrastructure | November 2018