New Delhi : India is one of the most polluted countries in the world after Bangladesh. If India wants to meet its climate goals, it needs to redesign trucks. That is because trucks are extensively used commercially for transportation of goods in the field of transport in India, which emits a huge amount of pollution-promoting smoke. 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 manufacturing electric vehicles. There is also news that Ashok Leyland, the vehicle manufacturer of Hinduja Group, will take the first batch of electric trucks on the roads in India within the next six to 12 months. However, other truck makers including Tata Motors have manufactured electric mini trucks and pickup vans etc. in India.
Ashok Leyland’s electric trucks will gallop on the roads in 12 months
N Sarwaran, chief technology officer of Ashok Leyland, a truck maker of the Hinduja group, said during an interview in early July that in the next six to 12 months you will find our first set of battery-powered electric vehicles running on the roads. He said that these electric vehicles will not be launched in a big way by the company, which is usually done before the launch of electric vehicles, but in small quantities and gradually the models will be launched in the market.
Ashok Leyland will partner with Reliance Industries and Adani Enterprises
Along with this, there is also a report that Ashok Leyland had announced plans to manufacture electric trucks for India’s ports in the month of June last. For this, the company is going to partner with Adani Enterprises and Reliance Industries. 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 per cent dependent on road transport for freight. The number of trucks in India is expected to more than quadruple by 2050 due to increasing urbanization and increasing 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 biggest hurdles
To top it all, higher prices and lack of infrastructure for charging are emerging as major barriers between electric versus diesel-powered trucks. Especially, due to this, those operators, big and small, who have most of the trucks, are facing difficulties. Trucks plying in India disproportionately contribute to climate change, said Samhita Shiledar, India program manager at US-based clean energy think tank RMI. He said that under the decarbonization effort 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 available for sale in India
As per a report, there are 381 Electric Trucks currently available 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.
Funding electric vehicles in India is a big challenge, know what the CII report says
India moving fast towards electric vehicles
While the work of electrification of the automotive sector is going on very fast all over the world, the commercial vehicle segment is no exception to it. Like the global markets, the Indian commercial vehicle industry is also rapidly moving towards electric vehicles. However, unlike other countries, the famous People Carrier 3 wheeler named Auto Rickshaw is also being electrified to carry cargo and people, which prove to be very useful for last mile cargo delivery in India’s truck industry. One of the major reasons for the electrification of the auto-rickshaw segment in India is that they prove to be very useful for middle class customers, who can easily ride them in a limited space without any excellent infrastructure. Apart from this, electric vehicles are cheaper to operate and this also increases the income.
