In India, emissions from one truck are equivalent to those from 25 cabs. With the expected increase in economic activity and consumerism, the share of trucks in transportation emissions is bound to increase. Thus, freight decarbonisation is crucial to meet India’s net-zero and energy independence targets.
Transitioning to clean fuel and vehicle technologies is key to decarbonising freight transportation. Among the low-carbon technologies and zero-emission solutions available globally, battery electric trucks (BETs), hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine trucks (H2-ICETs), and fuel-cell electric trucks (FCETs) are strong contenders in India. BETs are proven to be ready for operations in the light-duty truck category and are in the prototype demonstration stage for the medium- and heavy-duty truck categories. FCETs and H2-ICETs remain at the technology demonstration and testing stages, respectively, for all categories.