National Highways for Electric Vehicles (NHEV) under its Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) program started the 3rd Tech Trial Run of Electric Vehicles for upgrading five of Tamil Nadu’s highways into e-highways. The trial covers a 332 km stretch from Chennai to Trichy including electric, hydrogen, and zero-emission freight vehicles for the first time, in addition to electric SUVs and buses tested in previous trials.
The flag-off ceremony was held at Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam, which was attended by Dr. P. Alarmelmangai, IAS – Executive Director, Guidance TN and also officials of the Government of Tamil Nadu, Guidance TN, Startup TN, and TNGCC, along with several industry partners.
The technical trial aims to evaluate the deployment of Zero-Emission Trucks (ZET), hydrogen, and electric freight vehicles along a 332 km route from Chennai to Trichy. This initiative seeks to provide stakeholders—including users, financiers, and manufacturers—with critical insights to facilitate informed decisions on immediate vehicle deployment. Key factors under assessment include the cost efficiency of electric versus diesel and hydrogen vehicles, the total cost of ownership for a fleet of electric buses or trucks, the breakeven period for investment recovery, and the costs associated with upgrading e-highway infrastructure. The trial is part of a broader effort to accelerate the transition to zero-emission transportation in India, aligning with environmental and economic goals.
Abhijeet Sinha, Program Director at NHEV, stated that Tech Trial Run III represents a key milestone in evaluating the insights from previous trials on electric SUVs and buses, excluding electric trucks and ZET vehicles. This trial will shift focus to ensure that highway upgrades are inclusive of freight and logistics components. The trial aims to integrate logistical aspects and assess the deployment of electric, hydrogen, and ZET vehicles on a 5500 km e-highway currently being upgraded with NHEV.
Despite their lower operating costs compared to diesel, hydrogen and electric trucks are not yet available for business use. This trial seeks to gather real-time data to support their initial pilot deployment, similar to the earlier e-mobility pilot project under the Ease of Doing Business program for electric buses and SUVs, Sinha further added.
The Tech Trial 3 focuses on five key routes: Trichy to Chennai, Trichy to Madurai, Coimbatore to Ulundurpet, Kishnagiri to Madurai, and Madurai to Kanyakumari. Data from a technical trial between Chennai and another location will be used to determine the optimal locations for charging stations, their required frequency, associated costs, and the overall investment needed to upgrade these highways into e-highways.
The project aims to reduce logistics costs in India from 14% to 9%. Trucking significantly contributes to these costs, and Tamil Nadu’s progress in cutting logistics expenses could serve as a model for other states. The focus will be on decarbonizing the trucking industry and transitioning to zero-emission trucking, Sinha added.
Tamil Nadu has been chosen after a very extensive exercise to understand what it brings to the table. It has a position in the Indian economy as an economy that is poised to become a one-trillion-dollar economy. Second, it has a place in the Indian logistics sector. It serves as a hub for automobiles, logistics, and trucking in the southern part of India. It sends and receives huge amounts of goods. It also has a large number of industries, component partners, steel and cement manufacturers, and many other manufacturing units in this part of India.
National Highways for Electric Vehicles is a pilot for electric mobility and adoption towards net zero. This brings a third trial after NHEV has conducted trials in Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra. Both of these trials have highly benefited the stakeholders in planning for cars, buses, four-wheelers, SUVs, their operation, and fleet ownership.