Pinnacle To Begin Manufacturing EKA Buses in 6-9 Months’ Time

Pinnacle to make the EKA electric bus fleet in India, Read on for more info…..

Pinnacle Mobility Solutions, a venture of Pune-based Pinnacle Industries, forays into the electric bus manufacturing business. The brand is establishing its first manufacturing unit in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh in partnership with VDL Groep, a company headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The European company will be investing Rs.2000 crore over the next five years as per sources. 

The kickoff event that marks the beginning of construction of the new 50-acre manufacturing plant, to be set by Pinnacle Mobility Solutions, will be in September. As per a media source, the factory will fully commence its operations within the time span of six to nine months. 

Further, Sudhir Mehta, Chairman of Pinnacle Mobility Solutions, has stated that the company will invest around Rs.300 Crore in this financial year. He also mentions that one-third of the aforementioned investment will be utilised for research and development, meanwhile, two-thirds of the fund will be used for setting up equipment and machinery in the manufacturing plant. 

It is only recently that the venture received its Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR) certification for its 9-meter fully electric-powered bus which goes by the brand name ‘EKA’. The vehicle is based on a zero-emission platform and is constructed to be sustainable and efficient in terms of fuel efficiency, mileage and power-to-weight ratio. 

Furthermore, the brand has mentioned that the Pinnacle EKA Electric bus fleet will be initially manufactured at its primary facility nearby, which has the capacity to manufacture around 100 buses per month. Mr.Sudhir Mehta adds that Pinnacle Mobility Solutions will commence the manufacturing process within six to nine months’ time and will ramp up the manufacturing capacity in two phases. 

It has been confirmed that the plant is all set to begin its first phase of production by June 2023, with a manufacturing capacity of 500 buses each month. Mr.Sudhir Mehta also expects the production capacity to increase by 1000 units per month in Phase II of the process.

However, under the partnership between Pinnacle Mobility Solutions and VDL Groep, The seating and interior components will be provided by Pinnacle Mobility Solutions while VDL Groep will take care of fixing and tooling. 

Finally, the company has also mentioned that it plans to make and deploy 9-meter and 13-meter buses in the near future through government tenders. Moreover, the brand will be manufacturing and providing staff and school buses for the private sector in the initial phase as per sources. 

What do you think about the news regarding the Pinnacle EKA electric bus manufacturing facility? Tell us in the comments section below.