India’s first fleet of electric heavy trucks with swappable batteries for port operations launched at Mumbai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port

The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off India’s first fleet of electric heavy trucks with swappable batteries at the Nhava Sheva Distribution Terminal in Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) on Thursday. This also made JNPA having the largest EV truck fleet in any of India’s ports boosting sustainable logistics.

A heavy-duty battery swapping station was also commissioned. JNPA aims to convert 90% of its internal heavy truck fleet of about 600 vehicles by December 2026. Today, a total of 50 trucks were flagged off, with the fleet expected to expand to 80 by the end of the year.

During the event, an MoU was also signed between JNPA and Isaac Centre for Public Policy (ICPP), Ashoka University, Delhi. This MoU is to create a reference framework for port authorities to determine tariffs from both cost benchmarking and port benchmarking perspectives, across various cargo types and commodities.

This induction of state-of-the-art EV trucks marks another decisive stride in JNPA’s pursuit of decarbonisation and energy transition in the maritime and logistics ecosystem, a statement by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said. It added that the initiative reflects the Authority’s determination to align itself with global sustainability imperatives while also bolstering operational efficiency and reducing carbon footprints across cargo movement corridors.

This initiative carries special significance as JNPA, handling nearly half of India’s container trade, sets the pace for sustainable logistics at a national scale. The deployment of EV trucks at the port serves as a proof point for India’s broader logistics transformation under PM Gati Shakti and the National Logistics Policy (NLP).

Written by OpIndia Staff
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