Ashok Leyland in Touch With MHI After e-Bus Tender Glitch

By Jony Shekhawat | Published Date : November 20, 2025

Ashok Leyland faces a small technical glitch in India’s biggest 10,900 e-bus tender, but stays strong on electric buses and EV commitment.

India’s electric mobility push took a major step as CESL closed the country’s biggest tender for 10,900 electric buses under the PM E-DRIVE scheme. In this tender, Ashok Leyland faced a technical issue during bid submission, yet the company remains confident about its strong EV capacity and commitment.

Big Tender for 10,900 Electric Buses Closed Under PM E-DRIVE

Table Of Contents

1. Big Tender for 10,900 Electric Buses Closed Under PM E-DRIVE

2. Ashok Leyland's Announcement

3. Tender Coverage With Heavy Government Support

4. Capacity Rumours About the Project

5. Government Opinion About Tender

6. A Big Push for India’s EV Bus Future

Also Read: India’s Intercity Bus Travel Sees Strong 25% Jump This Year

India’s public transport shift toward clean mobility took a major step this month as Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL), a part of EESL, closed the country’s biggest tender for 10,900 electric buses under the PM E-DRIVE scheme. This huge tender was opened on 14 November and covered five major cities. It also pushed many OEMs, including Ashok Leyland buses, to speed up their electric plans.

This scheme is handled by the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI), which aims to boost electric buses, cut fuel cost, and support India’s Net Zero dreams. Many top companies joined this tender, like Tata Motors, JBM, PMI, Pinnacle, Greencell, Volvo Eicher, EVEY Trans and others.

Ashok Leyland's Announcement

There were talks that Ashok Leyland did not join the tender due to a capacity shortage. But the company cleared the air on Tuesday.

 Ashok Leyland said that its 100% subsidiary OHM Global did submit the bid for Ashok Leyland electric buses, but the system did not register it due to a technical error.

A spokesperson said, “OHM Global Private Ltd did participate in the PM E-DRIVE tender. But due to some technical issues during the e-tendering process, the submission did not register. We have already represented the matter to the authorities.” This means the company was fully ready, but the tender portal blocked their final submission.

Tender Coverage With Heavy Government Support

The Phase-I tender under PM E-DRIVE was launched on 27 June 2025. The target cities include:

• Bengaluru – 4,500 buses
• Hyderabad – 2,000 buses
• Surat – 600 buses
• Ahmedabad – 1,000 buses
• Delhi – 2,800 buses

MHI has kept ₹4,391 crore in fund support for this e-Buses project, out of a total scheme outlay of ₹10,900 crore. The ministry has a target of 14,028 electric buses under the scheme.

This will help cities reduce pollution, get better staff buses and public routes, and promote wider use of Ashok Leyland EV, Tata buses, and other clean mobility models.

Capacity Rumours About the Project

After rumours about a capacity shortage, Ashok Leyland strongly denied it. The company said it has more than enough manufacturing strength to produce Ashok Leyland electric buses, along with its regular Ashok Leyland commercial trucks and staff buses.

An adequate manufacturing capacity certificate was already uploaded to the tender portal. We stay fully committed to India’s move toward sustainable mobility,” the company stated.

This is important because Ashok Leyland is a leader in city buses, airport staff buses, and intercity transport. The company has also been pushing hard on Ashok Leyland EV technology, preparing future-ready electric platforms.

Government Opinion About Tender

According to MHI, this tender required huge technical, financial, and operational preparation. Some cities and STUs asked for changes in lot size, depot details, and bus types. Because of this, the ministry extended the bid deadline to allow more participants and stronger competition.

Officials also said this tender is a major step toward India’s goal of Net Zero by 2050 and Energy Independence by 2047.

A Big Push for India’s EV Bus Future

India is now moving fast toward clean transport, and these 10,900 electric buses are a big push for the future. More tenders are also coming, so growth in electric buses, staff buses and city travel will increase even more. Ashok Leyland had a small technical issue in the tender, but the company is still showing a strong focus on Ashok Leyland staff buses, Ashok Leyland EV models and its commercial lineup. This clearly shows Ashok Leyland wants to stay a strong player in India’s new electric mobility market.

Read More: Ashok Leyland Achieves All-Time High Profit in Latest Results

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Frequently Asked Questions On Commercial Vehicles

Q1. Why did Ashok Leyland’s tender submission fail?

Ans. A technical issue in the e-tendering portal stopped the bid from getting registered, even though all documents were prepared.

Q2. Does Ashok Leyland have enough capacity for electric buses?

Ans. Yes, the company said it has more than adequate capacity for electric buses and future EV programs.

Q3. How many electric buses were included in the PM E-DRIVE tender?

Ans. The tender covered 10,900 electric buses across Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Surat.

Q4. What companies participated in the tender?

Ans. Tata Motors, JBM, PMI, Greencell, Volvo Eicher, EVEY Trans and others took part in the tender.

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