JSW electric bus launch draws on Chinese technology
JSW launched its electric bus for the market in Mumbai last week. The company is starting with an annual capacity of 10,000 units at its plant in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, formerly Aurangabad.
As it developed the model, JSW worked with CHTC Kinwin, the electric commercial vehicle arm of Chinese conglomerate CHTC, for technological know-how and key components.
Trade records show Kinwin supplied components for motor and vehicle control units, along with other powertrain parts, between August 2025 and January 2026. We could not fully verify the extent of the collaboration.
What JSW Greentech does
Established in 2024, JSW Greentech is a subsidiary of JSW Green Mobility, the promoter Sajjan Jindal-backed entity for building JSW Group’s automobile business.
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The company is developing electric buses and trucks, while saying that its electric drivetrain architecture is developed in-house and built to its specifications through various suppliers.
JSW says its recently homologated 12m City bus was designed with the help of an Italian consultant and its in-house design team. It also uses paint shop technology developed with a supplier from Japan and works with vendors across Europe and the US on mechanical components.
What the company says
“Some of the electric drivetrain components, including cells, are sourced from China. We have also sourced some products for benchmarking from across the world, to develop our platform in the past,” the spokesperson said.
“The AMPSTAR 12m city bus is already around 70% localized, ahead of the government's broad benchmark of around 50% for participation in government tenders,” the spokesperson said.
Government tenders
JSW has bid for the 6,230 electric bus tender under the PM E-Drive scheme and the recently closed tender for more than 3,600 units under the PM E-Bus Sewa scheme.
It did not get any orders in the first tender, while awards had not yet been made for the second.
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