ChargeZone, India’s largest EV charging network with more than 15,000 charging points, and Fresh Bus, an all-electric intercity bus service, have expanded their existing partnership to accelerate the deployment of electric buses across southern India. Under the expanded collaboration, Fresh Bus will deploy an additional 400 all-electric buses on ChargeZone’s charging network, taking the ChargeZone-supported Fresh Bus fleet from 100 to 500 buses.
The expansion will be implemented over the next 15 months, connecting 20 cities and 17 additional towns across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The move is expected to strengthen the electric intercity mobility network across key southern corridors.
To support the larger fleet, ChargeZone will deploy 30 MW of additional charging capacity, alongside the existing 10 MW of dedicated infrastructure supporting Fresh Bus operations. This will take the total dedicated charging capacity for Fresh Bus to 40 MW. The additional capacity will also contribute to ChargeZone’s broader plan to add 200 MW of charging capacity across its national network.
At full scale, the expanded partnership is expected to deliver approximately 100 million units of energy annually and support more than 20,000 passenger journeys per day. The companies estimate that the expanded electric bus network could help reduce approximately 9,000–10,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.
Kartikey Hariyani, Founder and CEO of ChargeZone, said that commercial mobility, particularly intercity public transport, can play a significant role in scaling India’s EV transition. He highlighted the importance of reliable charging capacity, uptime and energy availability in enabling high-utilisation commercial fleets to expand electric operations.
Fresh Bus Founder Sudhakar Reddy said that reliable charging infrastructure has enabled the company to move from proving its electric intercity bus model to scaling operations across multiple corridors. The expanded partnership is aimed at making electric intercity travel more dependable and scalable.
The development marks another significant step in the growth of India’s electric intercity transport ecosystem, combining fleet expansion with dedicated high-capacity charging infrastructure.
Key Highlights
- 400 additional all-electric buses to be deployed by Fresh Bus.
- ChargeZone-supported Fresh Bus fleet to increase from 100 to 500 buses.
- Expansion planned over the next 15 months.
- Network to connect 20 cities and 17 additional towns.
- Coverage across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
- 30 MW of new charging capacity to be deployed.
- Total dedicated Fresh Bus charging capacity to reach 40 MW.
- Partnership expected to deliver 100 million units of energy annually at full scale.
- More than 20,000 passenger journeys per day expected.
- Estimated annual CO₂ reduction of 9,000–10,000 tonnes.
- Expansion contributes to ChargeZone’s broader 200 MW national charging-capacity addition plan.
