Electrification of the freight sector will have a high impact on limiting emissions from the transport sector and this will only be possible through a focused and collaborative effort. While cross-stakeholder engagement lays down the groundwork for collaboration, deep-dives sessions are needed with each stakeholder of the freight ecosystem for focused outcomes and action points.

Medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks (MHDETs) have only recently begun to receive attention from industry and policymakers. Higher upfront vehicle costs and costly and complex charging infrastructure pose the biggest barrier to the adoption of MHDETs by small independent contractors and contract carrier fleets that do not have the liquid capital to green-light significant investments in electric vehicles. While risks associated with demand and finance can be addressed, technology obsolescence risk in this fast-paced technological evolution is a significant challenge. There is always concern amongst the operators about the fast-changing EV technology becoming obsolete, making large investments in assets, particularly challenging. Henceforth, technical support and backing from vehicle manufacturers will be critical to the adoption of MHDETs. It will help ensure the reliability of the technology and will further improve service levels.  

In this series of the Niti Samvaad, we would like to deliberate on the role of vehicle manufacturers in increasing the uptake of freight electrification in India and the support required from OEMs to boost confidence for pilot discussions currently in place. 

What is Niti Samvaad?   

“Niti Samvaad” is deep-dive discussion series with each group of freight stakeholders curated under NITI Aayog and WRI India’s platform “e-Fast India” Electric freight accelerator for Sustainable Transport in India. The objective of these focused group discussions is to create a detailed understanding of issues faced by each stakeholder of the freight ecosystem. This will help in creating a pathway to resolve them together.  

This pointed discussion would also bring out an understanding of the technology development pathway of OEMs for Zero-emission trucking in India along with clarity for achievable timelines.