Transforming Trucking in India

This report by RMI outlines the economic, environmental, and strategic case for transitioning India's trucking sector to zero-emissions trucks (ZETs), specifically battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles. It details the potential for significant cost savings, emission reductions, and the policy and infrastructure requirements needed to establish India as a global clean freight leader.

• Transitioning to zero-emissions trucks (ZETs) offers India substantial economic benefits, including a potential 17 percent reduction in logistics costs and cumulative oil expenditure savings of over ₹116 lakh crore ($1.5 trillion) by 2050 through the reduction of diesel use by 838 billion liters.
• Despite representing only 3 percent of the total vehicle fleet, trucks are responsible for 53 percent of particulate matter (PM) emissions and 34 percent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Widespread ZET adoption could result in cumulative CO2 savings of up to 3.8 gigatons by 2050.
• Total cost of ownership (TCO) parity between electric and diesel trucks is currently achievable for medium-duty applications, with parity for heavy-duty applications expected to be feasible by 2027.
• To accelerate the ZET transition, India requires a combination of supportive demand- and supply-side policies, the deployment of both private depot and public en-route charging infrastructure, and the localization of the ZET supply chain. By 2050, ZETs could generate a cumulative battery demand of up to 4,000 GWh in India.

APA

RMI (2022). Transforming Trucking in India. https://rmi.org/resources/transforming-trucking-in-india-2/

Chicago

RMI. Transforming Trucking in India. 2022. https://rmi.org/resources/transforming-trucking-in-india-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Transforming Trucking in India |date=4 November 2022 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/transforming-trucking-in-india-2/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2022transforming, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Transforming Trucking in India}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/transforming-trucking-in-india-2/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }