Maharashtra Stakeholders Discuss Electric Road Freight Transition Towards Net Zero 2070
MAHAPREIT and INTENT round table examines charging infrastructure, financing, demand aggregation and commercial models for electric trucks
Maharashtra’s potential role in the transition to electric road freight was discussed at a round table organised by Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Technology Limited (MAHAPREIT) and INTENT at MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai.
The discussion, titled “Accelerating the Transition to Electric Road Freight in Maharashtra,” brought together stakeholders from government, finance, freight-intensive industries and the wider electric-trucking ecosystem to examine the requirements for scaling electric truck adoption in the state.
Speaking at the event, Shri Bipin Shrimali, IAS, Managing Director, MAHAPREIT, said, “Maharashtra has the opportunity to take a leadership position in the transition towards electric road freight. With its strong industrial and logistics base, the State is well placed to create commercially viable models that can enable industry to adopt electric trucks at scale. The focus must now be on building an ecosystem that brings together cargo owners, fleet operators, vehicle manufacturers, financial institutions, energy providers and infrastructure developers, while ensuring that the transition is technically feasible, financially bankable and commercially attractive.”
Shrimali also highlighted the infrastructure challenge facing the electric-trucking ecosystem, describing it as a “chicken-and-egg” situation in which vehicle users seek adequate charging infrastructure before making commitments, while infrastructure developers need sufficient demand to support investment.
He said, “The electric-trucking ecosystem currently faces a “chicken-and-egg” challenge, with users seeking adequate charging infrastructure before committing to vehicles, while infrastructure developers require sufficient demand to justify investment. For example, MAHAPREIT, given its pan India mandate, is developing 64 large EV charging stations with NHAI enabling right-of-way access for the first time. We are also exploring green freight corridors to aggregate demand from ports, fertiliser companies, mining operations and other freight-intensive sectors”.
Focus on commercial viability and demand aggregation
Ms. Mahua Acharya, Founder & CEO, INTENT, said the scale of the transition remains significant given the current number of electric trucks in India.
“India has approximately 4 million registered trucks, while fewer than 1,000 are electric, this highlights the scale of the opportunity before us. Transport contributes about 10% of India’s overall emissions, with road transport accounting for the dominant share. While the policy environment and incentives are increasingly favourable, electric trucking must ultimately make strong commercial sense through lower total cost of ownership, assured freight demand, viable financing and adequate charging infrastructure. Demand aggregation can help make the transition bankable, sector by sector and corridor by corridor,” Acharya said.
The discussions therefore focused on factors such as total cost of ownership, freight demand, financing, charging infrastructure and demand aggregation as important considerations for the adoption of electric trucks.
Maharashtra’s industrial and logistics ecosystem
Dr. Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai and President, All India Association of Industries, said the transition to electric freight would be relevant to India’s logistics efficiency, sustainability and energy security.
“As India moves towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, our logistics system must become more efficient, sustainable and globally competitive. In comparison to China which has a sale of nearly 400 thousand electric truck sales, India had a sale of mere 1000 units. With India importing close to 90% of its crude-oil requirement, electrification of freight is closely linked with energy security, logistics costs and competitiveness. The transition will require a complete ecosystem from raw-material and vehicle manufacturing to charging infrastructure, electric freight corridors, port connectivity and supporting logistics infrastructure,” Dr. Kalantri said.
He added, “Maharashtra is well placed to lead this transition with its major ports, industrial clusters and automotive ecosystem. Along with infrastructure, we must focus on talent mobilisation, skilling, financing and support for small and medium fleet operators so that the transition is commercially viable and scalable. The real success will come when electric trucking becomes not only the greener option, but also the better business option.”
Industry stakeholders examine adoption barriers
The structured discussion included senior representatives from NABARD and freight-intensive industries, including Tata Steel, as well as stakeholders from the cement, chemicals, fertilisers, pulp and paper, and tyre sectors.
Participants discussed their readiness for electric-truck adoption, procurement plans and key barriers affecting the transition. The discussions also covered potential commercial trials, partnerships, financing mechanisms and expressions of interest aimed at aggregating demand.
The participating stakeholders explored the development of scalable electric road freight models for Maharashtra, with the broader objective of contributing to India’s goals related to energy security, economic growth and decarbonisation.