New Delhi: India is one of the most polluted countries in the world after Bangladesh. If India wants to meet its climate goals, trucks need to be redesigned. This is because trucks are widely used commercially to transport goods in India’s transport sector, which emits large amounts of pollution-promoting fumes. For the first time, news is coming that Ashok Leyland, Asia’s fourth largest truck maker, is keen to capitalize on a huge opportunity by making electric vehicles. There are also reports that Hinduja group carmaker Ashok Leyland will take the first batch of electric trucks on Indian roads in the next six to 12 months. However, other truck manufacturers including Tata Motors have developed electric mini trucks and pickup vans etc. in India.
Ashok Leyland’s electric trucks will hit the roads within 12 months
Hinduja Group truck maker Ashok Leyland’s Chief Technology Officer N Sarwaran said during an interview in early July that in the next six to 12 months you will see our first set of battery-powered electric vehicles hitting the road. He said that these electric vehicles will not be launched on a large scale by the company, which is usually done before the launch of electric vehicles, but the models will be launched in the market in small quantities and gradually.
Ashok Leyland will partner with Reliance Industries and Adani Enterprises
Along with this, there is also a report that Ashok Leyland announced plans to manufacture electric trucks for ports in India last June. The company is going to partner with Adani Enterprises and Reliance Industries for this. Reliance Industries plans to invest around Rs 1,200 crore in its electric vehicle subsidiary Switch Mobility to launch hydrogen fuel battery vehicles. Ashok Leyland Chief Technology Officer N Sarwaran said that you will see continued development of hydrogen internal combustion engines with Reliance Industries.
Goods are transported by trucks in India
India, the world’s fifth largest economy, is 70 percent dependent on road transport for goods transportation. The number of trucks in India is expected to more than quadruple by 2050 due to increasing urbanization and growing consumer demand, which could raise climate concerns. In such a situation, it will not be easy to make a change towards clean vehicles.
Battery charging and high cost are the biggest hurdles
After all, high cost and lack of infrastructure for charging are emerging as major barriers between electric versus diesel-powered trucks. In particular, because of this, large and small operators, who have most of the trucks, are facing difficulties. Trucks plying in India contribute disproportionately to climate change, said Samhita Shiledar, India program manager at US-based clean energy think tank RMI. He said that under the decarbonisation efforts initiated by India, there is a huge opportunity for these truck operators and manufacturers, who can play an important role through electric vehicles in meeting the climate goals.
381 Electric Trucks are available for sale in India
According to a report, there are currently 381 electric trucks for sale in India. Among these, SN Solar Energy New Passenger Electric Rickshaw is the cheapest electric truck while Tata Ace EV is the most expensive electric truck. The most popular electric vehicles are AltiGreen, Mahindra Treo, Mahindra E-Alfa Mini, Tata Ace EV and Piaggio Ape E City.
India is rapidly moving towards electric vehicles
Electrification of the automotive sector is progressing rapidly across the globe, and the commercial vehicle segment is no exception. Like the global market, the Indian commercial vehicle industry is also rapidly moving towards electric vehicles. However, like in other countries, the famous people carrier 3 wheelers called auto rickshaws are also being electrified to carry goods and people, which prove to be very useful for last mile cargo delivery in Indian trucking industry. One of the major reasons for the electrification of the auto-rickshaw segment in India is that they prove to be very convenient for the middle-class customers, who can easily operate them in limited spaces without any great infrastructure. Also, electric vehicles are cheaper to run and also increase revenue.
