[Omkar]

Big shoutout to Chetan_Rao for shooting these pictures & his coverage of the Auto Expo. Thanks for sharing!

After skipping the 2020 Auto Expo, Ashok Leyland was back with a bunch of vehicles. And since there has been a lot of development in alternative fuels, the Indian manufacturer also had some interesting powertrain options. Right from fully electric to CNG to LNG to even flex fuel vehicles.

Switch EiV22 Double Decker

Switch Mobility is Ashok Leyland’s division for making commercial electric vehicles. You can download the combined Switch buses brochure here - Combined Switch Bus Brochure.pdf

On display was this EiV22 Double Decker bus which has a range of 250 km with a charging time of 1.5-3 hours:


The bus is over 9,800 mm in length, 2,600 mm in width, and 4,750 mm in height. It has a wheelbase of 4,860 mm. :


A look at the driver's cockpit. Transmission modes are in the form of buttons:


The bus can seat a total of 65 people + driver:


A look at the upper deck of seats:

13.5 M Intercity CNG Bus

Next up was this mammoth of a bus that is focused on intercity travel. It’s powered by an H Series BS-VI - 6 Cylinder engine that makes 249 BHP and 900 Nm of torque. The CNG cylinders in this bus have a capacity of 1,500 liters which gives it a range of 1000+ km (with AC) on a single fill. You can download the 13.5 M Intercity CNG Bus brochure here - 13.5m CNG Bus Brochure.pdf


As the name suggests, the bus is 13.5 meters long and has a wheelbase of 7 meters. There’s air suspension at the rear and for the front, you can opt for rubber-ended leaf spring / air suspension:


Minimalistic design for the cabin with a very basic driver seat:


There’s Google Maps navigation for the driver:


Ashok Leyland claims that this bus has the highest number of berths in the segment at 36:


Like in most sleeper buses you have one side that can accommodate 2 passengers and…


… the single passenger berth:

[Omkar]

FCEV Truck

This is a Hydrogen-powered Fuel Cell Electric Truck. It is a zero-emission vehicle with fuelling times similar to that of a diesel vehicle. You can download the FCEV brochure here - FCEV Brochure.pdf


The truck produces 335 BHP and 1,600 Nm torque with the maximum speed being limited to 80 km/h:


This FCEV is built on AVTR modular platform that allows customers to configure the vehicle according to the specific applications:


A look at the power electronics and electric motor:


The truck has 4 tanks (3 here and 1 at the bottom) with a total capacity of 33.6 kg:

Bada Dost Xpress - Mini Passenger Bus

This is a mini passenger bus that’s powered by a 1.5 L, 3-cylinder CNG (BS-VI) engine making 57 BHP and 158 Nm torque. You can download the Bada Dost brochure here - Bada Dost Brochure.pdf


The CNG tanks are placed underneath the bus:


The front row is meant for driver + 2 people:


11 seats at the back:

[Omkar]

BEV Truck

This is the Boss BEV that’s powered by a 284 kWh Li-ion NMC-type battery with a claimed range of 300-350 km on a single charge. You can download the BEV Truck brochure here - BEV Truck Brochure.pdf


As you can see here, the battery packs are placed at the bottom and the truck has a ground clearance of ~ 343 mm:


The motor produces 188 BHP and 1065 Nm torque. Top speed is limited to 80 km/h:

Switch IeV Series Tempo

Here’s another EV that was on display:


This is a tempo with a 54 BHP motor:


Ashok Leyland had a cutout on display and you can see the battery mounted up front and the motor on the rear axle:


Here’s a quick look at the technical specifications:

LNG Truck

The truck that you see here is based on the modular AVTR platform and is powered by a 6-cylinder LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) / CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) engine. The engine is powered primarily by LNG and can switch to CNG when the LNG fuel is exhausted. You can download the LNG Truck brochure here -
LNG Truck Brochure.pdf


The LNG tank has a capacity of 990 liters and the CNG tank has a capacity of 160 liters:

MiTR Ambulance

Ashok Leyland also had this MiTR ambulance on display. It’s powered by a 3.0L diesel engine making 138 BHP and 360 Nm. You can download the MiTR Ambulance brochure here - MITR Ambulance Brochure.pdf


It has 270-degree openable and lockable rear doors for easier entry and exit of patient stretchers.


On the inside, you have customizable interiors and storage space for equipment and consumables. The reinforced sidewall can be used for mounting critical-care equipment like defibrillators, suction pumps, and more. Apart from this, it also has an auto-loading, foldable stretcher cum trolley:

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[ads11]

Great to see some EV options from another Indian player!

A question though, for the EV truck, do those bottom mounted battery packs not look a bit exposed? I would've thought they'd at the very least be inside some kind of enclosure unless it's this way either for static display purpose or to encourage ease of maintenance (though come to think of it, with an EV, the latter is what you're hoping to need much less than for an ICE truck).

Nice to see the Switch EV double decker. Would love to see more of these in Indian metros. Though I should probably ask Mumbaikars how well overcrowding is prevented in the top deck?

One last question with the Switch EV tempo, is this in the same category as an Ace in terms of being a LCV? Also what exactly is the origin of this term tempo? I don't think I've ever heard it outside the Indian context.

[peterjim13]

Originally Posted by Omkar

Bada Dost Xpress - Mini Passenger Bus

I am not sure of the number of Bada Dost fans here, but this is one stunning looking passenger bus. The rear looks much concept car like for me, while this could be a great alternative to Wingers or smaller Force Traveler.

We will have to wait and see on how much of the design would make it to the final vehicle (if at all that is coming out to the market).

Looking at just these pics, on the dimensions & seating - this could be an affordable Hiace alternative

[alphamike_1612]

Originally Posted by peterjim13

I am not sure of the number of Bada Dost fans here, but this is one stunning looking passenger bus.

I've fallen for it's looks too. If there's a barebones version (without the seats inside) I can see myself converting this into a camper van and going on the van life. Unfortunately my profession doesn't allow remote work.

[Harjot37]

Originally Posted by Omkar

FCEV Truck

This is a Hydrogen-powered Fuel Cell Electric Truck. It is a zero-emission vehicle with fuelling times similar to that of a diesel vehicle. You can download the FCEV brochure here - Attachment 2404870
Attachment 2404863

The truck produces 335 BHP and 1,600 Nm torque with the maximum speed being limited to 80 km/h:
Attachment 2404864

Who knew trucks could be so darn good looking! After the Tesla Semi, I mean, damn! Horn Ok, Yes, please!
Ashok Leyland

[ellip5i5]

The Bada Dost on road is actually quite intimidating. It is significantly larger and seems more powerful than the Tata Ace. Good to see another attempt at filling the small transport category, hope it succeeds in replacing the share autos and like.

[PreludeSH]

The Bada Dost looks like a VW, especially on the rear !

Hope they are ready to deploy them so that they can be used for city transport. The state corporations can use these easily with charging points owned by them along highways.