EVs to roll out from Ashok Leyland’s Lko plant on Jan 9

This unit will manufacture advanced commercial vehicles based on internal combustion engines, electric vehicles

Two years after the handover of land by the state government to Ashok Leyland, electric vehicles (buses) will roll out from the plant on January 9 marking a new chapter in industrialisation of the state.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath at the foundation-stone laying ceremony of the plant (HT File Photo)

Interestingly, the Ashok Leyland plant has been set up on the same land from where Scooters India Ltd functioned

The Yogi Adityanath government had signed an MoU with Ashok Leyland in September 2023, issued the Letter of Intent in January 2024, and thereafter, the world-class plant was established in just 14 months.

Ashok Leyland has invested around ₹1,000 crore in the project. The Lucknow unit is an integrated chassis and bus-manufacturing plant with an initial production capacity of 2,500 units per year. It will be expanded to 5,000 units per year in subsequent phases.

This unit will manufacture advanced commercial vehicles based on internal combustion engines (ICE), electric vehicles (EVs), and alternative fuels, addressing the needs of both domestic and global markets.

“This plant will not only strengthen the state’s automobile manufacturing capabilities but also prepare the state for the future of mobility,” said the state’s industrial development minister Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’.

The state government’s ‘Investment Promotion Policy for FDI/FCI, Fortune Global 500 and Fortune India 500 Companies – 2023’ aims to provide global companies with a fast, transparent, and time-bound investment experience.

The policy provides land subsidies, capital subsidies, SGST reimbursement, exemptions in stamp duty and electricity duty, skill development incentives, and green industry incentives.

Green and Sustainable Industrial Vision

The Ashok Leyland’s unit also embodies the state’s green industrial vision. IGBC Platinum Grade certification, a 1 MW solar plant, zero liquid discharge, 100% rainwater harvesting, and a modern STP system have been implemented here.