The southern Indian state of Telangana plans to retrofit 240 diesel buses in its public transport fleet with electric powertrains, as part of a broader push to reduce emissions and modernize urban mobility, officials said.
The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSGRTC), the state-owned operator, issued a tender in September for the conversion project. Hyderabad-based Sai Green Mobility Pvt. Ltd. secured the contract for 200 buses, while Pune-based Kalyani Powertrain Ltd. was awarded the remaining 40 units. The operator did not disclose technical specifications for the retrofitted vehicles.
TSGRTC said it believes the initiative represents the first large-scale diesel-to-electric bus conversion undertaken by a state road transport corporation in India. The programme follows a pilot project completed in 2023, in which an older internal combustion engine bus from Hyderabad’s Musheerabad depot was converted to electric operation in partnership with a private firm. The retrofitted bus is now operating under the Uppal depot and has performed efficiently, the operator said.
The retrofit effort complements the state’s ongoing procurement of new electric buses. TSGRTC currently operates 325 electric buses across six depots in Hyderabad and plans to add another 175 units later this year, bringing the total to 500. In December, the operator deployed 65 new electric buses supplied by Olectra Greentech Ltd.
To support the expanding fleet, the state government plans to invest about 3.92 billion rupees (approximately €36.5 million) in infrastructure, including ten new depots, ten additional charging stations and charging facilities at 19 existing depots in the capital.
By 2027, TSGRTC aims to operate 2,800 electric buses within the Outer Ring Road area of Hyderabad, combining both newly purchased and retrofitted vehicles as part of a zero-emission public transport strategy.
