Battery-powered trucks can save ₹15/km in fuel costs: Infraprime Logistics

Gurugram-based Infraprime Logistics Technologies, which expects to put 50 battery-powered, 55-tonne heavy duty trucks in the market soon, has said that the per kilometre running costs of an electric truck is cheaper by ₹15 compared with a diesel-powered truck of comparable capacity.

Subodh Yadav, CEO, Infraprime Logistics, told BusinessLine that the company’s Lithium-ion battery powered trucks would be priced “at less than twice the cost of the corresponding, BS-VI compliant diesel trucks.” However, the electric trucks would save ₹15 a km of run, compared with the diesel vehicle.

Infraprime Logistics was in the news recently, when a UK-based battery manufacturer, Faradion, put out a press release stating that it had entered into “major partnership” with Infraprime, for developing Sodium-ion batteries in India.

Asked about this, Yadav said, “Faradion will produce the batteries in India and we will be the user of these batteries. At this stage, I cannot comment beyond that.”

Infraprime says it is currently testing out two 55-tonne electric trucks, which have clocked 90,000 km of run in the last six months. “Over fifty vehicles are in various stages of production and would be deployed within next two months,” Yadav said.

Asked about launching trucks powered by Sodium-ion batteries, he replied in the affirmative. Sodium-ion battery driven commercial vehicles could be launched as soon as January 2021, he said.

Sodium-ion batteries are expected to be much cheaper than the conventional Lithium-ion one, because the former is abundantly available.