BENGALURU: With increasing emphasis being laid on electric vehicles (EVs) in the country, including cars, two-wheelers, three-wheelers and buses, the Centre is now looking at introducing electric trucks on Indian roads.
Though trucks as a vehicle are a part of the Centre’s EV policy, little progress has been made on the road, and the NITI Aayog is now working with the Centre on making it a reality.
NITI Aayog Senior Energy Expert (Energy Transmission) Deepak Bawari told TNIE that they were working on many projects, including electric trucks. The others in the list include distribution of energy reusables and efficiency models for households and corporates.
Bawari added that despite the battery size and capacity, launching e-buses was easy because destinations and routes are predefined, but that is not the case with e-trucks. There are logistical and practical issues like vehicle and battery costs, presence of charging stations on all highways, and time spent in charging batteries. Discussions with stakeholders, truck manufacturers, and owners are on to understand issues and iron them out.
Some of the problems that have been cited by truckers is a lack of support from financial institutions. A normal diesel truck costs around Rs 40 lakh, while an EV will cost around Rs 1.3 crore. However, a few truck manufacturers have launched e-trucks for in-house transportation, while there is demand for electric trucks from shipping, logistics sector, and other service providers.
Meanwhile, Power Ministry sources said it can become a reality if all state governments collectively work on it. Policies of all state governments should be in sync, not just with the Centre, but also with each other. This is because the cost of charging and battery services needs to be uniform. This will improve the transportation sector, address vehicular pollution, and track truck movements.