India is in the early stages of transitioning to e-trucks, with significant growth expected ahead
India’s freight sector, primarily driven by road transport and dominated by diesel trucks, is projected to experience significant growth through 2050 due to urbanization and rising incomes. In light of this, organizations are increasingly shifting towards electric heavy duty vehicles (e-trucks) to mitigate the anticipated rise in pollution resulting from the growing demand for trucks.
Demand signals from leading corporations under NITI Aayog’s e-FAST initiative indicate that e-truck demand could reach 7,750 units by 2030. Additionally, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority has committed to deploying over 6,500 e-trucks within the next 3-5 years, bringing the immediate demand to 15,000 e-trucks. Further, the recently announced PM E-DRIVE Scheme, with an allocation of ₹500 crores for e-trucks will further drive the demand growth in the coming years.
Deployment of charging infrastructure shall be critical in unlocking India’s transition to e-trucks
The transition to e-trucks in India offers immense opportunities, particularly in developing the fast-charging infrastructure, which is critical to enabling this shift. The deployment of 15,000 e-trucks is projected to require 1,500 fast-charge points, 78 MW of renewable energy, and an investment of $33 million along major corridors. These numbers will rise as adoption increases, driven by corporate sustainability commitments.
However, this transition faces challenges around high upfront costs, low utilization rates of charging infrastructure, and lack of universal standards. Addressing these challenges requires coordinated planning supported by data driven insights. For instance, visibility on fleet deployment plans can enable infrastructure developers to identify tangible investment opportunities, prioritize optimal locations, and maximize utilization.
In this context, collaboration between fleet operators, charge point operators (CPOs), and early adopters is crucial. Data-sharing also enables fleet operators to reduce reliance on costly captive charging facilities and ensures public charging infrastructure is placed where it is most needed. Such alignment optimizes investments, reduces costs, and supports a smoother transition. By leveraging data-driven approaches and fostering partnerships, India can build the infrastructure required to unlock the full potential of e-truck adoption, creating a sustainable and efficient future for logistics.
The National-level data-sharing platform under ZEV-EMI aims to demonstrate the value of data-sharing
To realize the vision of a cost-effective, data-driven, and sustainable e-truck ecosystem, WBCSD is spearheading the development of the ZEV-EMI India Data-sharing Framework, which aims to unite stakeholders across the ecosystem and tackle operational challenges and uncertainties in India’s e-truck transition.
In Phase 1 of the initiative, WBCSD partnered with Fujitsu to demonstrate the value of data-sharing through a pilot conducted from November 2023 to March 2024. Using Fujitsu’s EV-Shift solution, which leverages digital twin technology, the pilot identified optimal charging locations for Gentari’s fleet in Delhi and Mumbai. The results showed that strategically optimized charging infrastructure significantly enhances operational efficiency while reducing costs by 13% and charging time by 70% for fleet operators.
Building on this success, Phase 2 focuses on establishing a national-level charging infrastructure task force to develop a centralized, industry-consulted data-sharing framework. Key objectives include:
- Mobilizing stakeholders to identify critical data points, such as fleet routes, projected e-truck numbers, battery specifications, etc. which can help inform infrastructure investments
- Developing governance mechanism to standardize this data while adhering to principles of privacy, confidentiality, and accuracy, thereby addressing stakeholder concerns about data-sharing
- Defining the outcomes and insights to be generated from data analysis, such as the quantum of investment, scale and size of infrastructure requirement, optimal charging locations, etc.
These insights will enhance charging infrastructure utilization, avoid overinvestment, and foster the development of a cost-effective and sustainable freight ecosystem. The data-sharing framework will also act as a platform for collaboration, highlighting key project opportunities and mobilizing investments. By working together, we can build a transparent, efficient, and resilient freight ecosystem for India’s future – one that balances sustainability and operational effectiveness.
Call-to-Action: Collaboration among various stakeholders is essential to unlock mutual benefits and drive progress for all parties involved
Achieving this vision of data-driven infrastructure development requires active involvement of stakeholders across the ecosystem. We invite companies to collaborate with us to drive innovation, unlock new opportunities, and achieve our shared vision for a sustainable transportation future.
- We call on fleet operators to play a pivotal role by sharing non-sensitive data, such as fleet routes, truck specifications, and expected demand, enabling predictive modeling that guides the planning of infrastructure. This data will also allow fleet operators to gain tailored insights to enhance operational efficiency and optimize the placement of charging stations.
- We call on charging point operators to leverage these insights to prioritize investments in high-demand corridors, thereby optimizing charger utilization and maximizing return on investment. Additionally, aggregated data will allow them to strategically deploy charging infrastructure where it delivers the most value to fleets and the broader ecosystem.
- We call on industry peers and associations to amplify the impact of this effort by endorsing and promoting the data-sharing framework. Their support will facilitate wider adoption of data-sharing practices and encourage collaboration across the value chain to drive a unified e-mobility vision.
- We call on governments to play an essential role in creating the right regulatory environment for data-sharing. By developing clear data-sharing guidelines that align with national decarbonization and e-mobility goals, they can foster collaboration among stakeholders. Additionally, governments can introduce financial and policy measures to encourage data-sharing and catalyze investments in charging infrastructure, thereby supporting the creation of a sustainable and transparent ecosystem for electric truck adoption.
Collaboration is the cornerstone of this effort. By working together, stakeholders can align investments, optimize resources, and accelerate India’s transition to a sustainable e-truck future – unlocking mutual benefits and ensuring progress for all.
To further this effort, charging infrastructure convenings are planned as the next step. These convenings will focus on profiling project opportunities, fostering alignment among stakeholders, and mobilizing investments in infrastructure development to ensure the smooth and sustainable progress of India’s e-truck transition.
Companies joining call for action
Aditya Birla Group, APL Logistics, Arcadis, Billion E, Binani Technologies, CESL, Charge City, Charge Zone, Fujitsu, JSW, KPMG, Maersk, Nestle
Partners supporting call for action
C40, CEEW, CoEZET, ICCT, OMI Foundation
For more information or to join the framework, contact:
Urska Skrt:urska.skrt@wbcsd.org | Gunay Huseynalizadeh: huseynalizadeh@wbcsd.org