Vijayawada: In a significant step towards sustainable public transport, a diesel-powered super luxury bus has been successfully retrofitted into a fully electric air-conditioned bus for the first time in the state-run RTC. The vehicle is set to undergo on-road testing in Vijayawada, following which APSRTC will conduct a 30-day commercial trial run between designated depots.
Following the success of the commercial trial run, the RTC plans to operate the retrofitted EV AC bus between Nellore-Tirupati and vice versa, given the immediate availability of charging infrastructure in both cities.
Pune-based Kalyani Powertrain Ltd completed the retrofitment of the vehicle from diesel to electric at the Vidhyadharapuram RTC workshop on a free-of-cost basis under a proof of concept. A senior official from the engineering wing of APSRTC said, "The retrofitted bus, originally a diesel vehicle belonging to the Mangalam RTC depot in Tirupati district, was commissioned in 2017 and has completed 14.54 lakh kilometres. For the retrofitment, the engine, chassis, diesel tank, and body of the older vehicle were removed. A brand-new AC bus body costing Rs 25 lakh, a battery kit costing Rs 58.5 lakh, and a 240 kW charger costing Rs 11.5 lakh were used to convert it into an electric bus."
According to the official, the conversion process began on December 9, 2025, and was completed on January 16. APSRTC staff were also trained in the EV technology used for the conversion by the private firm. The construction of the bus body was completed on April 13 at Amba Coach Builders in Chandarlapadu mandal of NTR district.
Elaborating on the next steps before the commercial launch, the official said that on-road testing of the bus will be conducted in Vijayawada. This will be followed by homologation testing at the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT), Pune, along with obtaining a green registration plate from the AP RTO. The official added that the expected range of the retrofitted electric bus is 210-230 kilometres on a full charge, with charging from 20% to 100% expected to take approximately 120 minutes.
