Ashok Leyland Circuit History

Ashok Leyland unveiled the Circuit in 2016 as India's first domestically produced all-electric bus, built on the company's existing Jan Bus Midi platform fitted with a pure-electric drivetrain and a lithium-ion battery pack. The 8.2-metre bus seated 31 passengers — nine more than the diesel Jan Bus Midi — and was rated for a range of approximately 120 km on a single charge, with the battery replenishable in around three hours.

The Circuit's 85 kW (114 bhp) motor drove through a conventional propeller-shaft-and-differential layout rather than a hub-motor arrangement, easing servicing in markets with limited EV infrastructure. With 40 percent local content the launch was framed as an expression of the Indian government's Make in India initiative, positioning Ashok Leyland as the first domestic OEM to offer a zero-emission transit bus.