There is a need for standardising EV charging systems: Gadkari to OEMs

Nitin Gadkari

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New Delhi: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday urged automakers to collaborate on standardising charger designs to ensure interoperability across electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.

Drawing a parallel with the standardisation of mobile phone chargers, he noted that without such uniformity, both manufacturers and consumers could face challenges in adoption and economic viability.

The minister was speaking at an industry roundtable organised by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

According to him, the shift to zero-emission commercial vehicles must be driven by demand aggregation, competition, and lower upfront costs, and not subsidies.

Multi-pronged approach to mobility transition

India’s mobility transition, he noted, will hinge on flash-charging e-buses, hydrogen trucks, and biofuel projects, with all solutions from electric to LNG needing adoption in the Indian context.“Technologies will gain traction only if they are economically viable, as businesses will adopt them only when profitability is assured,” Gadkari said.

As per estimates, India has about 41 lakh trucks, contributing nearly 40 per cent of transport emissions. While public bus fleets are steadily electrifying, freight adoption remains negligible with fewer than 1,000 electric trucks currently on the road.

Industry stakeholders suggest prioritising early-moving sectors such as cement, steel, ports, mining, and e-commerce, where truck movement follows predictive schedules within captive plants or along corridors, making demand aggregation easier.

A recent ICCT analysis suggests Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh will drive over 70 per cent of India’s truck charging demand, requiring a 9 GW network to support 1.3 lakh electric trucks by 2030.

In July, the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) issued PM E-Drive incentive guidelines for electric trucks, while the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) sought comments on a draft proposal for future fuel efficiency norms covering heavy-, medium-, and light-duty vehicles.Gadkari added that the government may consider toll exemptions for electric trucks, noting that their heavy-duty batteries add nearly two tonnes of weight compared to diesel trucks, resulting in higher toll charges.Meanwhile, hydrogen truck trials will take place across 10 key freight corridors including Delhi-Agra, Mumbai-Pune, Ahmedabad-Vadodara, Jamshedpur-Kalinga Nagar, and Visakhapatnam-Pariar with participation from Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Volvo, Indian Oil, Reliance, NTPC, and SPCL. The pilots will test both fuel-cell and hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2ICE) technologies, with Tata Motors already having unveiled prototypes in the latter category a few months back.