Hinduja group's flagship company Ashok Leyland today unveiled the country's first electric plug-in CNG hybrid bus, HYBUS, at the Auto Expo here.
Unveiling the bus, Ashok Leyland Managing Director R Seshasayee said that the government should encourage public transportation and asked for support for production of hybrid buses.
"The government must bring down duty on lithium ion batteries," he said.
At present, duty on lithium ion batteries, that powers the drive system of a vehicle, is 18 per cent.
According to Seshasayee, compared to conventional bus, powered by IC engine, HYBUS offers significant fuel savings of 20-30 per cent.
These buses will be used during the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
"We are happy to lead with green bus technology once again following CNG buses in 1997 and hybrid electric vehicle in 2002," he added.
The company also unveiled ESSI 20, truck with emphasis on green and efficient transportation.
Seshasayee said the truck embodies 20 innovative ideas that together deliver 20 per cent better fuel efficiency and correspondingly over 20 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions.