Electrification of Trucks Turning Obstacles to Opportunities

The transport sector is the fastest-growing contributor to global climate change as it alone contributes 19.2% of carbon emission, according to a report. In India, medium and heavy-duty trucks (MHDTs) comprise 2% of the total vehicle population but contribute to 45% of the overall vehicular road transport emissions, as per studies by an international non-profit. Faster transition to electric vehicles can keep the world on the 1.5°C global temperature pathway. Increased uptake will also help India meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement and its ambitious goal of 100% Zero Emission Truck penetration by 2050 to support the country’s Net Zero 2070 commitment.

The Bharat Zero Emission Trucking (ZET) policy advisory is a comprehensive blueprint aimed at accelerating the adoption of Zero Emission Trucks (ZETs) in India, crucial for achieving the nation’s Net Zero 2070 target. It outlines 30 strategic interventions across five areas: incentives, regulations, infrastructure, business and financing, and stakeholder initiatives. Each policy intervention is assigned to a specific nodal agency responsible for its execution and oversight with key stakeholders including central ministries, central and state agencies, financiers, private companies, research organizations, and labour unions.

The Union Budget 2025 has given a renewed push to schemes promoting e-mobility with a funding increase of over 20% as compared to last year. The government has taken major steps by way of the import of critical minerals and their recycling which would further aid the EV and battery manufacturing industry.

These trucks, powered by electric batteries or hydrogen fuel cells, produce no tailpipe emissions, crucial for reducing greenhouse gases and enhancing air quality, and are key to the transition to sustainable transportation. The Policy Advisory Panel (PAP), under the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA), led the development, with drafting managed by the Centre of Excellence for Zero Emission Trucking (CoEZET), IIT Madras.

While there are multiple processes involved, the first step is to make key stakeholders aware of the different aspects of truck electrification – the trends, advantages, challenges and technologies. Towards this end, CoEZET at IIT Madras launched two major projects in December last year. The purpose was to build a strong relationship based on trust with truck end users and engage with them to help accept the electrification journey, according the institute.

The Driver Rating Application (DRA) project is an AI-driven mobile app to assess truck driving behaviour on safety and energy efficiency. It will also encourage and inculcate safe and efficient driving behaviour among truck drivers. As safety and energy efficiency are vital to realise benefits and faster adoption of ZETs, the mobile app will include anticipative alerts designed to inform drivers of inadequate driving behaviour relative to the static context of road infrastructure. The app also enrols drivers of diesel trucks, which are operating in long distances of minimum of 4,000 km per month.

The second project, Outreach, is for generating awareness about Zero Emission Trucking (ZETs) among end users including drivers, helpers, mechanics, fuel pump operators, body fabricators, and small fleet operators through events. The project will cover States that contribute to 80% of the population of Medium and Heavy-Duty Trucks (more than 12T Gross Vehicle Weight – GVW) and aims to cover the trucking community directly through physical events at a minimum of 200 locations across South, Central, West, and Eastern States (excluding North Zone States, which were covered during pilot trials) and through digital communications that are apt for the user layer.

While most other stakeholders such as fleets will be influenced by monetary, policy, emission and energy security considerations, the end user layer actually feels the direct impact of any change in trucking and, that too, on a day-to-day basis. The drivers, especially, will be seeing significant improvements in their personal comfort due to truck electrification- the noise, vibration, heat, fatigue, acceleration and many other criteria will see significant improvements. But they will also be required to replan their schedules in order to find that extra couple of hours to break journey for charging. This community needs to understand and accept these changes well in advance, according to the institute.