A study commissioned by the Delhi government to assess the feasibility of bringing battery electric trucks (BET) on the road has suggested providing purchase incentives for the vehicles in the next EV policy, enhancing infrastructure and making tax exemptions.
Medium and heavy-duty trucks in India are only 3% of the on-road vehicle presence. Oil-driven trucks, on the other hand, contribute about half of the well-to-wheel carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
In Delhi, trucks are among the major contributors to pollution. The government halts the entry of trucks in winter every year because of the alarming rise in PM 2.5/PM 10 levels.
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) study suggested beginning with vehicles that have easy-to-electrify duty cycles such as garbage trucks, water tankers, trucks that carry construction and demolition waste, trucks that carry anti-smog guns and others that have predictable daily range requirements and no significant secondary power consumption.
There is a higher upfront cost for BETs as they are more expensive than diesel and CNG ones. “To improve the cost competitiveness of BETs, provide purchase incentives between INR 10,000 and 15,000 per kWh of battery size, capped at 40% of the ex-showroom cost,” the study suggested. In the current EV policy, there is no subsidy for trucks.
Multiple manufacturers have announced that they are developing various models ranging from 5-55 tonnes. A few models are commercially available.
Amit Bhatt, the ICCT MD (India), said: “Delhi has till now led the EV story. Delhi has an aggressive electric vehicle policy which is target-specific.”
He said, “Because we have been developing a robust bus charging infrastructure, we have the potential to be a pioneer in trucks also…. A start can be made with electric trucks in the government fleet and later the model could be taken to high-density corridors.”
The council has also suggested extending the 5% interest subvention on loans to cover the purchase of BETs. This would help make the cost of ownership attractive.
A senior official in the transport department said, “Right now, we need to show a technology demonstration that electrification of trucks is possible. The challenges are the same that we had when we began with buses and four-wheelers.” He said the suggestions in the study would be examined before the government rolls out the next EV policy.
The agency also said that the Delhi government should submit a representation to the ministry of heavy industries recommending purchase subsidies for trucks.
“Incentivise the deployment of DC high-power charging infrastructure to support the rapid uptake of BETs. Utilities should use their own funds to augment upstream infrastructure where needed. Extend concessional land rates to public high-power charging stations,” the report said.
