For years, China has dominated the global electric bus market, holding an overwhelming share of the roughly $40 billion sector with hundreds of thousands of units deployed domestically and aggressive exports worldwide. Now, Indian manufacturers are making their first meaningful inroads, shipping over 110 Made-in-India electric buses to Europe, Africa, and Mauritius — signaling the beginning of a credible challenge.
Indian companies are leveraging strong engineering, cost competitiveness, and customization to gain early traction in select international markets:
- Switch Mobility (Hinduja Group) delivered 100 EiV12 electric buses to Mauritius in India’s largest e-bus export to date. The buses, handed over through a government-to-government initiative, are operated by the National Transport Corporation (NTC). The final batch was formally transferred by India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to Mauritius Prime Minister Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam.
- EKA Mobility has deployed electric buses in Zanzibar (Tanzania) and is actively establishing local assembly operations in Ethiopia. The company recently flagged off its first fleet in Zanzibar, with plans to scale up significantly in Africa.
- JBM Group has set up a European headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany, to support the rollout of over 100 buses across the country and broader European markets. This marks a strategic push into one of the world’s most regulated and quality-conscious regions.
Together, these efforts have seen more than 110 Indian e-buses land on foreign shores, with additional momentum building through tenders and partnerships.
Indian OEMs are not competing head-on with Chinese volume giants everywhere. Instead, they are carving out niches with a focused strategy:
- Right-Hand Drive (RHD) Advantage — Targeting markets like Mauritius, parts of Africa, the UK, and other Commonwealth nations where RHD vehicles are preferred.
- Tropicalized Customization — Buses are engineered for harsh conditions with heavy-duty HVAC systems, rugged chassis, enhanced dust protection, and higher ground clearance — features that resonate in hot, humid, or semi-rural environments.
- Asset-Light Models — Emphasis on local leasing partnerships, CKD (completely knocked down) assembly, and technology transfer to reduce upfron
While China still commands the vast majority of the global electric bus fleet (hundreds of thousands of units), Indian players are proving that “Make in India” can travel. These early wins build references, refine products for global standards, and open doors for larger orders.
For India, this is more than just exports — it’s soft power through green technology, job creation in manufacturing, and strengthening ties with Global South nations. For the world, it introduces healthy competition and supply chain diversification in a critical decarbonization sector.
The beachhead is small but strategically placed. As more countries seek reliable, climate-appropriate, and non-monopolistic e-bu
