Fresh Bus and Exponent Energy to Deploy 250 Sleeper Electric Buses in India

Fresh Bus has signed an initial partnership agreement with Bengaluru-based energy technology company Exponent Energy to deploy sleeper electric buses equipped with rapid-charging technology. The announcement was made in Mumbai on January 20.

Under the partnership, Fresh Bus has committed to deploying up to 250 electric intercity buses supported by Exponent Energy’s rapid-charging platform and charging infrastructure. The companies said the collaboration will focus on long-distance intercity operations using all-electric sleeper buses.

Fresh Bus operates all-electric intercity bus services in India. Exponent Energy develops high-power charging systems for electric vehicles, including fast-charging solutions designed for commercial applications.

According to the companies, the electric buses deployed under the partnership will be supported by a charging infrastructure with a capacity of up to 1.5 MW. The charging system is intended to enable short-duration charging during highway stops for long-distance operations.

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Sudhakar Chirra, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Fresh Bus, said, “This is a systems-level solution built for real-world intercity operations. Fast charging is inherently more efficient than simply adding oversized batteries. After two years of close collaboration and joint engineering with Exponent Energy, we are ready to deploy at scale.”

Arun Vinayak, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Exponent Energy, said the charging technology has been developed in India to support high-power and rapid charging requirements for electric buses. “A 15-minute quick charge every 300 km during highway pitstops allows for diesel vehicle-like operations with the benefits of electric vehicles,” he said.

The companies said intercity electric buses have traditionally faced operational challenges due to limited driving range and longer charging times. According to Fresh Bus, electric buses operating on long-distance routes are typically constrained by an effective range of around 350 km per charge, which impacts scheduling and turnaround times.

Under the current agreement, Fresh Bus will deploy sleeper-configured electric buses on select intercity routes. The first phase of operations is expected to begin on the Hyderabad–Bengaluru corridor, which the company identified as a high-demand route. No specific launch date was disclosed.

Exponent Energy said its charging platform is designed to integrate with commercial electric vehicle fleets and enable high-frequency operations. The company added that the charging infrastructure required for the partnership will be installed along identified intercity corridors.

Fresh Bus stated that the partnership covers vehicle deployment, charging infrastructure support and operational integration. The company did not disclose the total investment involved in the deployment or the procurement details of the electric buses.

Both companies said further details on route expansion and operational timelines will be announced separately as deployment progresses.