JSW races into e-bus segment with 6,230-bus tender play

JSW Group subsidiary JSW Eco Mobility Pvt. Ltd bid in the recently concluded government tender for 6,230 electric buses, and although it did not win any orders, the move marked the steel-to-energy conglomerate’s entry into a tightly contested market and conveyed its intent to expand its presence.

- Manas Pimpalkhare & Ayaan Kartik

JSW Eco Mobility Pvt. Ltd, the group’s bus operator, submitted bids across all five cities and undercut legacy companies Tata Motors, Olectra Greentech, JBM and Ashok Leyland, according to data for the tender that Mint reviewed.

The JSW arm was the second or third-lowest bidder in at least four cities: Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Delhi.

JSW made the bids as it prepares to launch its first electric bus within a year and simultaneously gear up for the debut of its electric and hybrid passenger vehicles. JSW Greentech, the builder of the group’s e-buses headed by chief executive officer Sumit Mittal, secured a ‘type approval certificate’ for one of its upcoming models, indicating compliance with safety, technical, and performance standards.

‘‘The company is setting up its plant, and we expect them to become more active and aggressive in the market in the upcoming tenders,’’ a senior industry executive said.