National Highways for Electric Vehicles (NHEV) has started its 3rd Tech test run of electric vehicles in Tamil Nadu, goaling to enhance five major highways into e-highways.
For the first time, 332 km of the Chennai to Trichy route will be traversed by electric, hydrogen, and zero-emission freight vehicles as part of the trial. Earlier trials concentrated on electric buses and SUVs.
Dr. P. Alarmelmangai, IAS, along with representatives from the Tamil Nadu government and business partners, officially opened the trial at the Chennai Trade Centre. The goal of this project is to assess the possibilities of eco-friendly cars, such as Zero-Emission Trucks (ZET), on Tamil Nadu’s highways.
The trial will assist stakeholders in determining the total cost of ownership for electric buses or trucks, the investment required for e-highway infrastructure modifications, and the cost-effectiveness of electric vehicles compared to diesel and hydrogen vehicles. It supports India’s initiatives to advance emission-free mobility for a more environmentally friendly future.
The trial will concentrate on freight and logistics with the goal of integrating electric, hydrogen, and ZET vehicles on the 5500 km network of e-highways, according to Abhijit Sinha, Director of the NHEV Program. In order to facilitate the deployment of electric trucks—which are not yet in commercial use—this pilot will assist collect real-time data.
The study would assist in determining the best placements and prices for charging stations along five important routes, such as Trichy to Chennai and Madurai to Kanyakumari. The initiative also seeks to decarbonize the trucking sector in order to cut India’s logistics expenses from 14% to 9%.
Tamil Nadu was selected because to its strategic significance in the Indian economy and its status as a significant hub for the logistics and automotive sectors. Previous NHEV experiments in Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra have already aided stakeholders in making plans for electric mobility, and the trial in Tamil Nadu is anticipated to yield important information on e-highways in the future.
