Mahindra targets to start electric bus sales in India next year

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, which acquired an Indian electric car maker seven years ago, is targeting to start selling electric buses next year in Asia’s third-biggest economy as the government looks to cut the country’s dependence on fossil fuels. The automaker is working on bigger electric powertrains that will drive buses and cargo vehicles, Mahesh Babu, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Mahindra Reva Electric Vehicles Ltd, said in an interview without elaborating. The Mumbai-based company aims to sell a total of 100,000 units of electric passenger vehicles, buses and trucks over the next two to three years, compared with about 7,000 units of such vehicles it has sold so far, he said. The push by Mahindra to expand its offering of electric vehicles comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked a group of senior ministers to lead an initiative to ensure that by 2030 most, if not all, vehicles in India are powered by electricity. The government is providing subsidies on electric and hybrid vehicles and has said it will support the development of technology as well as charging infrastructure.