SML Isuzu joins electric vehicle juggernaut

MUMBAI: SML Isuzu, one of the country’s leading makers of small buses and trucks, is looking to capitalise on the government’s push towards electrification and come out with a new electrified portfolio, which it will showcase at the upcoming Auto Expo in Delhi in February 2020.

The company has received inquiries from multiple states and is already working with the Punjab government, Yugo Hashimoto, managing director of SML Isuzu, told ET.

The government of India has earmarked a sum Rs 3,545 crore for supporting the sale of over 7,000 electric buses by 2022 to state transport undertakings as part of its Rs 10,000-crore FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India) scheme. Manufacturers such as Tata Motors and Olectra-BYD have already supplied over 100 buses each so far under the scheme.