Delhi-based JBM Electric Vehicles has joined forces with global sustainability solutions provider Hitachi ZeroCarbon to introduce a data-driven, AI-powered battery management system for electric buses.
The collaboration is being hailed as a strategic step to refine how India’s growing fleet of electric buses performs in diverse urban climates. This marks the debut of Hitachi’s ZeroCarbon BatteryManager in the Indian market—technology that will be embedded into JBM’s fleet of electric buses operating in extreme climate regions. The pilot will closely monitor real-time data on charging patterns, route usage, and battery wear, helping operators tackle long-standing challenges around performance degradation and high maintenance costs in e-mobility.
India, with its mix of dense urban environments and extreme seasonal variations—soaring heat in the north, coastal humidity in the south—offers a compelling landscape to validate battery system efficiency. Experts involved in the partnership believe that the deployment of BatteryManager will help optimise fleet performance and serve as a robust benchmark for broader adoption of zero-emission public transport systems. According to officials at the partnering companies, the primary goal is to extend battery life cycles and enhance residual value for electric bus fleets. With battery costs comprising a significant portion of total vehicle ownership, this data-centric approach is seen as a vital mechanism to make electric buses more economically viable over the long term.
The pilot programme will begin with a select fleet operating in cities across northern and southern India, where climate stresses can severely impact battery efficacy. The technology will collect and process data in real time, helping fleet managers reduce downtime, prevent overcharging, and align route planning with optimal battery usage. This shift to predictive battery diagnostics is expected to lower energy consumption and improve the operational lifespan of each bus. Industry analysts tracking the initiative say the move will not only reduce operational risk but also attract institutional investors by showing that electric mobility assets can retain value over time. This is especially important for municipal transport agencies and private operators considering large-scale procurement of electric buses.
The battery intelligence platform will also provide insights into passenger load management and recharging intervals, enabling better infrastructure planning for EV charging stations. For a country like India, where public infrastructure often lags behind policy ambitions, this kind of granular data becomes a valuable asset in urban transport planning. Fleet electrification has been a key priority for India’s net-zero ambitions, particularly in megacities that struggle with toxic air quality and rising fuel import bills. Yet concerns around cost, range, and battery reliability have held back the pace of transition. With initiatives like the JBM-Hitachi partnership, the EV ecosystem in India is entering a new phase—one driven not only by clean technology but by smart, data-led decision-making.
Officials at JBM Electric Vehicles have underscored the broader relevance of this partnership. The collaboration is expected to create a repeatable business model that can be adapted for use in other countries facing similar climate challenges, including several Middle Eastern nations. The company, which operates the world’s largest dedicated electric bus manufacturing plant outside China, located in Delhi-NCR, has emerged as a leading player in India’s push toward sustainable transport. Its product range spans intra-city, intercity, and luxury buses, serving both domestic and international markets. By embedding smart battery monitoring into this expansive fleet, the company is positioning itself at the forefront of EV innovation.
Meanwhile, Hitachi ZeroCarbon brings to the table extensive global experience in sustainable fleet solutions. The company’s BatteryManager platform has already been deployed in over 8,000 vehicles through large-scale projects in the United Kingdom. There, the system not only improved battery performance but also helped public and private operators access low-cost green financing—a model that Hitachi now aims to replicate in India. In 2024, the firm played a pivotal role in helping the UK’s largest bus operator acquire funding for 1,000 electric buses. The experience gained through that programme is now being channelled into the Indian partnership to address similar cost-related hurdles. Officials from Hitachi emphasised that India’s vast and varied climatic zones offer an ideal test bed for next-gen EV technology. By collecting millions of data points from each battery cell in real time, the BatteryManager aims to transform operational strategies from reactive to predictive. This leap in digital capability could prove critical for scaling e-mobility in congested cities, where battery-related service interruptions can disrupt entire public transport systems.
The collaboration is also aligned with India’s broader goals of sustainable urban development. Cleaner transport solutions reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower noise pollution, and offer health benefits to millions of commuters exposed to high vehicular pollution. With cities like Delhi and Mumbai among the world’s most polluted, the success of such pilots could play a decisive role in shaping future urban mobility policies. While this partnership currently focuses on technology refinement and performance monitoring, its larger ambition is to influence national-level policy and procurement strategies. Officials involved in the project are optimistic that the insights generated will guide future tenders and public-private partnerships for electric bus deployment.
The pilot also underscores the role of integrated digital infrastructure in India’s green transition. It is no longer sufficient to manufacture electric vehicles; their lifecycle, performance, and economic viability must be intelligently managed. This partnership, therefore, represents a critical step toward building smarter, more sustainable public transport systems. As the Indian government ramps up its efforts to meet clean energy targets and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, partnerships such as this one could prove instrumental. They not only bring cutting-edge technology into the local ecosystem but also showcase the benefits of global collaboration in tackling climate challenges through innovation.
In the months ahead, the data emerging from this pilot will be closely monitored by stakeholders across the mobility, energy, and climate sectors. If successful, it could chart a new path for electric bus adoption—not just in India, but across other emerging economies looking for scalable, cost-efficient, and climate-resilient transport solutions.
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