CHENNAI: National Highways for Electric Vehicles (NHEV) under its Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) programme has started the third “Tech Trial Run” of electric vehicles for upgrading five of Tamil Nadu’s highways into e-highways.
The trial focuses on five key routes — Tiruchy to Chennai, Tiruchy to Madurai, Coimbatore to Ulundurpet, Kishnagiri to Madurai, and Madurai to Kanniyakumari. The initial focus will be on a 332 km stretch from Chennai to Tiruchy with electric, hydrogen, and zero-emission freight vehicles for the first time, in addition to electric SUVs and buses tested in previous trials.
The flag-off was held on Monday at the Chennai Trade Centre to mark the World Electric Vehicle Day, in the presence of Dr P Alarmelmangai, Executive Director, Guidance Tamil Nadu, and officials from Startup TN.
Key factors under assessment during the trial include cost efficiency, the total cost of ownership for a fleet of electric buses or trucks, the breakeven period for investment recovery, and the costs associated with upgrading e-highway infrastructure.
Data from the technical trial will be used to determine the optimal locations for charging stations, their required frequency, associated costs, and the overall investment needed to upgrade these highways into e-highways.
The focus will be on decarbonizing the trucking industry and transitioning to zero-emission trucking, said Abhijit Sinha, programme director at NHEV. Despite their lower operating costs compared to diesel, hydrogen and electric trucks are not yet available for business use. According to its website, NHEV is a pilot programme adopted by the Government of India.