The ‘Veera Mahasamrat EV’, revealed by Veera Vahana and Exponent Energy, is announced as the first intercity bus in the world with a 15-minute charging time. The electric bus is planned to use Exponent’s 1 MW charging technology to charge fast in 15 minutes.
According to the companies, this 13.5-meter electric vehicle bus with two axles is the first in the world and is powered by a 320-kWh battery pack from Exponent. The bus is supposedly covered by a 3-thousand-cycle or 6-lakh-kilometer battery warranty.
According to the companies, their focus is on long-distance intercity travel, and they plan to begin service on the Bengaluru – Hyderabad route. Exponent plans to install four charging stations along this route.
As per the announcement, fleet owners could possibly save 30% on operational expenses by using the Veera Mahasamrat EV instead of an ICE bus. The businesses propose that bus operators may be able to employ electric vehicles on long-haul inter-city routes without worrying about range and lengthy charging times, thanks to 15-minute rapid charging and the Exponent charging network along roads.
Exponent Energy aims to install four 1 MW charging stations—two at each terminal and two along the highway—to support operations on the Bengaluru–Hyderabad route. According to the companies, the goal of this arrangement is to enable bus operators to switch from internal combustion engines (ICE) to electric vehicles while preserving a comparable experience in terms of the number of stops and amount of downtime between stops.
Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director of Veera Vahan, is quoted as saying that Due to their narrow range and lengthy charging times, electric buses are currently only allowed to operate within cities or on short distances. He proposes that their collaboration with Exponent seeks to emulate the diesel bus experience, which usually involves a 15–20 minute stop every 300 km.
According to the announcement, Exponent’s technological stack regulates the properties of each cell via the BMS, charging algorithms, and an exclusive off-board thermal management system for thermal management. According to reports, this mechanism actively pumps coolant to the battery while charging in an effort to keep it at the ideal temperature and continue to function reliably even in 50°C ambient temperatures.
Arun Vinayak, Co-founder & CEO of Exponent Energy, is quoted as showing enthusiasm about the collaboration with Veera Vahana. He claims that they have developed what they believe to be the third 1 MW charging technique in the world, behind Tesla and Siemens, in India specifically for India.
