Bhopal-based Future Autotech Global Ventures is moving from showcase to scale. Having displayed its electric bus at the previous edition of PRAWAAS, the company is getting ready to start commercial production within a couple of weeks.
Mr. Yash Raj Verma, Managing Director of the company said, the first two buses set to be deployed on the Bhopal-Balaghat (460 km) and Bhopal-Nagpur (350 km) routes within three months. Ten more buses will follow on the same routes shortly after, with inquiries already coming in from Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore, and Maharashtra. The company is targeting production of 30 to 35 buses per month as it scales up.
What makes Future Autotech’s story particularly interesting is its dual identity. It is part of the Verma Group, whose sister concern Verma Travels is an established bus operator. The company claims to be the only bus manufacturer in India that is also a bus operator — meaning it builds buses, sells them to other operators, and runs them on its own routes. That operational experience has directly shaped the product, he said.
The bus on display at PRAWAAS 5.0, was a seater-sleeper variant with a capacity of 22 seats and 20 sleeper berths, accommodating 42 passengers in toto. It is certified against all relevant standards including AIS 119, AIS 52, and AIS 153. A fully sleeper variant is also available, while a seater-only variant is being developed and will take seven to eight months, given the time needed to integrate ADAS — which is becoming mandatory under new government regulations — and complete prototype testing and homologation, he said.
Space management is a key highlight. The bus offers 6.5 cubic metres of luggage space, achieved through careful placement of the 12 battery packs — distributed across the rear and sides of the vehicle rather than occupying the central luggage area. Each battery pack is fitted with a Fire Detection and Suppression System that automatically shuts down in the event of a fire or thermal event. All 12 packs are cooled by an integrated cooling system. The motor carries a warranty of five lakh kilometres or five years, and the chassis frame is warranted for five years. An annual maintenance contract is offered alongside the bus, with battery replacement available after the warranty period, he highlighted.
The company currently has a factory with a capacity of 12 to 15 buses per month. A larger facility near Bhopal, capable of producing 25 to 30 buses per month, is under development. In the interim, tie-ups with Sanatan Bus Body Builders in Indore and Prakash Bus Body Builders in Bangalore provide additional manufacturing capacity — both working to Future Autotech’s specifications and under its quality supervision.
Leasing companies have also begun approaching the company, seeing an opportunity to make the buses accessible to smaller operators who may not have the capital for outright purchase.
Mr. Verma summed up his vision stating that the bus travel should not be the last choice for passengers — it should be the first. Building a luxury electric bus that operators trust and passengers prefer is, for him, the goal worth chasing.
