JBM Ecolife Secures $100M to Expand India’s E-Bus Fleet

15 Sep 2025 CW Team

JBM Ecolife Mobility, a subsidiary of JBM Auto, has raised $100 million in long-term capital investment from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to expand its electric bus operations across India.

The funding will enable the purchase and operation of 1,455 modern, air-conditioned electric buses in Maharashtra, Assam, and Gujarat. This represents IFC’s first capital investment in the e-bus sector in Asia and its largest globally.

“This initiative marks the strategic start of further collaborations to accelerate e-bus deployment with enhanced scale and efficiency,” said Nishant Arya, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of JBM Auto. The project is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 1.6 billion kilograms, save over 600 million litres of diesel, create 5,500 jobs, and serve more than one billion passengers over its operational tenure.

Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of IFC, added: “E-mobility is the future, and we are making it real through investments in leaders like JBM. Together, we are setting benchmarks for sustainable, resilient, and globally replicable urban transport.”

The Maharashtra and Assam projects, tendered under the Pradhan Mantri e-Bus Sewa Scheme, will also introduce a Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) to mitigate payment risks faced by state transport undertakings, enhancing the bankability of future e-bus initiatives.

Buses account for nearly three-quarters of public transport trips in India, with around two million vehicles currently on the roads. The government targets 40 per cent e-bus penetration by FY30. JBM has already deployed over 2,500 e-buses across ten states and 15 airports, covering more than 200 million electric kilometres and serving one billion passengers. Its Delhi-NCR facility, among the world’s largest dedicated e-bus plants outside China, has an annual capacity of 20,000 units.

Infrastructure Urban

25 Oct 2025

Tata Communications Revives Nagan Thangal Lake in Tamil Nadu

Tata Communications, in partnership with Pitchandikulam Forest, has rejuvenated Nagan Thangal Lake in Upparapalayam village, Tamil Nadu, transforming the 15.01-acre site into a thriving ecological and community hub. Launched in 2022 under *Project Nanneer* (“good water” in Tamil), the initiative has improved water security, biodiversity, and community engagement, as per a recent study by the Watershed Organisation Trust Centre for Resilience Studies (W-CReS). Once a vital but neglected water source for 2,800 residents, the lake’s capacity had dropped by 75 per cent. Through land shaping..

PTC Industries Wins GTRE Order for Single Crystal Turbine Blades

PTC Industries Limited, a leading manufacturer of high-performance materials and precision-engineered components for aerospace and defence, has received a Purchase Order from the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), for Post-Cast Operations to produce Single Crystal ‘Ready-to-Fit’ Turbine Blades. The announcement was made in the presence of Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the inauguration of PTC’s Titanium & Superalloys Materials Plant in Lucknow. This marks the first time an Indi..

NCBA unveils East Africa’s first cloud-based corporate platform

Nairobi, 23 October 2025: NCBA Bank has launched Connect Plus, an advanced transaction banking platform powered by Intellect’s eMACH.ai Digital Transaction Banking solution, becoming the first bank in East Africa to adopt a cloud-based corporate banking system. The upgraded platform enhances transaction speed, payment flexibility, cash liquidity management, and integration with other financial platforms, offering a secure and intuitive experience for corporate clients. James Gossip, Managing Director, NCBA Kenya, said the launch aligns with Kenya’s Vision 2030 Digital Economy initiative,..