India's freight industry shifts toward multi-energy heavy-duty trucking

The Indian commercial vehicle industry is transitioning toward cleaner freight through diverse propulsion technologies. Industry leaders emphasize that the future of heavy-duty trucking will not rely on a single technology but rather a multi-energy approach tailored to specific applications.

Montra Electric aims to make electric trucks the default choice for Indian fleet operators by focusing on electrified freight corridors. The company is working with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to support schemes for replacing aging trucks and buses. While two- and three-wheelers are already scaling, heavy truck electrification faces challenges regarding battery weight, route economics, and the need for a domestic lithium-ion cell ecosystem.

Blue Energy Motors advocates for a multi-energy ecosystem that includes LNG, electric vehicles, and biofuels. This strategy considers route economics, payload requirements, and infrastructure readiness. Success in this transition depends on making clean mobility commercially viable by focusing on total cost of ownership, vehicle uptime, and the integration of connected intelligence for predictive maintenance and fleet visibility.