India’s first fleet of fifty swappable-battery electric heavy trucks have officially been flagged off at the Nhava Sheva Distribution Terminal for the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA).
The vehicles were flagged off by the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal.
The flagging-off of the vehicles cements JNPA as possessing the largest EV truck fleet in any port throughout India, with the port now aiming to convert 90% of its internal heavy truck fleet by December 2026.
JNPA’s fleet is expected to grow to 80 by the end of 2025.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between JNPA and Isaac Centre for Public Policy (ICPP), Ashoka University, Delhi, was also signed during the event, which seeks to create a framework for port authorities to determine tariffs from both cost benchmarking and port benchmarking perspectives across a number of cargo types and commodities.
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal, said:Today, when JNPA takes a decisive step in electrifying its fleet of logistics vehicles, it sends a message far beyond port boundaries. It sends a message that India’s ports are ready to embrace the future, ready to pioneer practices that will set benchmarks for sustainability, efficiency, and innovation. Across India, ports are introducing solar and wind power projects, LNG and hydrogen fuel infrastructure, and electrification of cargo handling equipment.
Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, we are ensuring that the Indian maritime sector not only keeps pace with global developments but also sets new benchmarks in sustainability and efficiency.
The flagging-off ceremony also saw the commissioning of a heavy-duty battery swapping station.
