JNPA Starts EV Trucks with Swap Station
Mumbai: Fifty electric heavy trucks with swappable batteries were flagged off at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority’s Nhava Sheva Distribution Terminal today, marking India’s first such fleet at a port. Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, performed the flagging-off ceremony. A heavy-duty battery swapping station was commissioned to support the fleet.
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority plans to expand this fleet to 80 trucks by December 2025 and convert 90 per cent of its approximately 600 internal heavy trucks to electric vehicles by December 2026. The port handles nearly half of India’s container trade, making this a key step in sustainable logistics.
An MoU was signed between Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and Isaac Centre for Public Policy at Ashoka University, Delhi, to develop a tariff benchmarking framework for port authorities. The framework will address cost benchmarking and port benchmarking perspectives across various cargo types and commodities. Sonowal stated, “Today, when JNPA takes a decisive step in electrifying its fleet of logistics vehicles, it sends a message far beyond port boundaries. It sends a message that India’s ports are ready to embrace the future, ready to pioneer practices that will set benchmarks for sustainability, efficiency, and innovation. Across India, ports are introducing solar and wind power projects, LNG and hydrogen fuel infrastructure, and electrification of cargo handling equipment. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, we are ensuring that the Indian maritime sector not only keeps pace with global developments but also sets new benchmarks in sustainability and efficiency.”
The initiative reflects Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority’s pursuit of decarbonisation and energy transition in the maritime and logistics ecosystem. It aligns with the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan and India’s net-zero commitment by 2070, reducing operational emissions, particulate pollution, and noise within the port ecosystem. The deployment supports the PM Gati Shakti and National Logistics Policy by demonstrating commercial-scale EV adoption in high-throughput logistics. It establishes a replicable benchmark for other major and non-major ports to adopt EVs for cargo-handling and last-mile connectivity, aligning with the Maritime India Vision 2030 and Green Ports initiative.
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority ranks among the top 25 ports globally in the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index. Sonowal noted, “In recent months, JNPA has consistently been in the news for the right reasons — be it ranking among the Top 25 Ports globally in the World Bank’s CPPI index, achieving records in container handling, or advancing key projects in the SEZ, digitalisation, and green energy. Today’s event adds another jewel to that crown of achievements.” The port is advancing projects in special economic zones, digitalisation, and green energy, including solar and wind power projects, LNG and hydrogen fuel infrastructure, and electrification of cargo handling equipment. Unmesh Sharad Wagh, Chairperson of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority and CMD of Vadhavan Port Project Limited, said, “The launch of this new fleet of EV trucks represents not merely an incremental enhancement of our logistical arsenal, but a paradigmatic leap towards a cleaner, greener, and more resilient future for port operations. As custodians of India’s largest container port, it is incumbent upon us to embrace innovation that reconciles economic dynamism with ecological responsibility. This fleet of EV trucks will serve as harbingers of a new era, wherein sustainability is not an adjunct to growth but its very foundation.” R. Lakshmanan, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, attended the event alongside Sonowal and Wagh.
– global bihari bureau
