India's electric vehicle push is moving past announcements and into daily running. Over the weekend, three cities showed progress on electric buses, Kolkata Police received a large batch of electric motorcycles, and plans for domestic lithium processing moved forward.
Electric Buses Get Closer to the Road
In Himachal Pradesh, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri flagged off ten electric buses at Chamba. The state says 297 e-buses are already running, and 1,000 more are planned for the HRTC fleet.
Visakhapatnam received its first Green Metro electric bus at the Gajuwaka depot. The city has been allotted 100 buses under the PM e-Bus Sewa scheme, and passenger services are expected to begin on 1 October, subject to registration and approvals.
Bhopal is set to grow its fleet from 10 buses to 45.
Kolkata Police Adds Electric Motorcycles
Kolkata Police took delivery of 183 Ultraviolette X-47 Skyforce electric motorcycles on 18 September. The police variant comes fitted with sirens, a public-address system, warning lights and communication gear.
This is not a small trial batch but a full working fleet, meant to support emergency-response duties.
Ahmedabad's Registration Mix-Up
Two AMTS electric buses in Ahmedabad were found running with the same displayed registration number. Officials said the actual RTO registrations were different, but the plates had been tampered with. The incident has raised questions about fleet monitoring and control-room oversight.
Since these buses are tracked by GPS and payments depend on kilometres run, the case shows why fleet software and vehicle identity checks matter as much as the buses themselves.
State Rankings and Big Plans
NITI Aayog's Electric Mobility Index 2025 placed Delhi on top with a score of 84. Maharashtra followed with 78 and Karnataka with 73. Karnataka led on charging readiness at 97, while Haryana scored just 19 on electrification progress. Uttar Pradesh showed the opposite pattern — strong adoption but weaker charging infrastructure.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said Ashok Leyland is considering a battery plant in Bhandara, Maharashtra, which could involve investment of ₹10,000–₹15,000 crore. The company has not confirmed the project yet.
On lithium, Altmin plans a $200 million refinery at Kakinada to process 300,000 tonnes of spodumene into 30,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate. Lohum has started mining in Zimbabwe, and Attero is expanding recycling capacity.
What to Watch
The Visakhapatnam launch date and any formal word from Ashok Leyland are the key things to track.