India's heavy freight is getting a big electric order. Energy In Motion (EIM) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Sorigin Green Mobility to deploy 500 electric heavy commercial vehicles over two years, Autocar Professional and Motoring Trends report.
The plan
- The trucks: EIM's Ashwa 55-tonne electric tractors.
- The ecosystem: EIM will also provide charging infrastructure, battery-swapping networks and energy-management systems.
- First deployment: 18 vehicles in the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) ecosystem near Mumbai, with work starting immediately.
- Routes: cargo-intensive freight corridors where high utilisation and fast turnaround matter.
What they said
EIM managing director Narendra Murkumbi said electrification will be driven «not just by the availability of electric vehicles, but by an integrated ecosystem that makes them practical and commercially viable for fleet operators». He described Sorigin as an existing customer. Sorigin director Gautam Rekhi and co-founder Aarav Tanti said the aim is to make zero-emission freight «the default choice for ports and industrial supply chains».
An MoU is not a firm order. Battery swapping, rather than megawatt charging of the kind Tesla is building for the Semi, is the approach EIM is using to keep heavy trucks moving.