May 14, 2026 12:42 AM
The National EV Highway Guidance Framework offers an evidence-based roadmap to electrify freight transport and 20 priority highways by 2027, with a national network by 2035.
The Climate Pledge (TCP), co-founded by Amazon, has launched the National EV Highway Guidance Framework—India’s first evidence-based roadmap for shifting freight transport from diesel to zero-exhaust-emission battery electric trucks (BETs) in collaboration with C40 Cities (a network of around 100 cities worldwide working on climate action).
The Framework recommends a phased plan to electrify India’s busiest freight routes by 2027, beginning with 20 priority highways identified by the Ministry of Heavy Industries, expanding to industrial centres and ports and ultimately creating a seamless, EV-ready national freight network by 2035.
The Framework is anchored in five pillars:
- Highway Profiling: Identifying priority freight corridors based on traffic, distance, and route readiness
- Demand Enablement: Creating strong demand through company commitments and supportive incentives
- Infrastructure Development: Building reliable, high-speed charging networks along key freight routes
- Operations Optimisation: Improving route planning, fleet management, and uptime for efficient electric trucking
- A Just Transition: Supporting drivers, workers, and small businesses in the shift to electric freight
Why this Framework Matters
Road transport accounts for nearly 70% of goods movement in India. Medium and heavy-duty trucks make up just 3% of vehicles on road but contribute around 53% of particulate emissions. India’s freight demand is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, increasing the need for cleaner transport solutions. With demand projected to grow over four-fold by 2050, scaling electric freight will be key to reducing emissions and improving efficiency. This Framework outlines practical pathways, aligned with the Government’s focus on electrification and sustainable mobility, and India’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.
“India’s transition to cleaner freight will require strong collaboration across government and industry. The EV Highway Guidance Framework launched under the Laneshift program today is an important step in this direction and will help create a scalable pathway for electric trucking in the country. Through the e-FAST India platform, NITI Aayog has been bringing together logistics operators, OEMs, energy providers, and financial institutions to build an enabling ecosystem for freight electrification. Building on these efforts, partnerships led by C40 Cities, The Climate Pledge, and private sector stakeholders like Amazon demonstrate how collaborative action can help move electric freight from pilots to large-scale deployment,” says Dr. O.P. Agarwal, Distinguised Fellow, NITI Aayog
From Pilot Project to Policy
The Framework draws insights from Laneshift pilot project, led by C40 Cities and The Climate Pledge, by bringing together truck manufacturers, fleet operators, logistics providers, and financiers to test electric freight. As part of the project, electric trucks completed 600 trips on the Bengaluru–Chennai corridor, covering over 200,000 km across sectors, generating insights on performance, reliability and cost, and supporting early adoption through long-term contracts. To assess scalability, the project also undertook a 6,500-km pilot along the Golden Quadrilateral, connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata.
Laneshift project demonstrated operational viability of electric freight across all use cases, and commercial viability for operations exceeding 400 km per day. The project saw 4.2-times increase in electric truck orders and the securing of long-term commercial contracts, signaling growing market confidence.
“We continue to invest in making our operations more sustainable, and electrifying our logistics is a key part of that effort. Through The Climate Pledge, we are also working with stakeholders to help scale electric freight solutions more broadly in India. The project findings and framework are encouraging, and reinforce the importance of continued collaboration between government and industry to accelerate adoption,” says Abhinav Singh, VP, Operations, India and Australia, Amazon.
The Framework draws on the work of C40 Cities, which led the Laneshift pilot alongside The Climate Pledge and coordinated stakeholders across the freight ecosystem.
“Decarbonising freight is not a future ambition; it is an immediate economic and public health imperative for the country. Laneshift has shown that zero-exhaust-emission trucks can operate commercially on long-haul corridors, that costs are coming down, and that when the right stakeholders align their efforts, barriers give way. India has the scale, the policy momentum, and the industry appetite to be the next frontier,” says Naim Keruwala, Regional Director for South and West Asia at C40 Cities.
"The launch of the National EV Highway Guidance Framework marks a pivotal moment in India’s journey toward a sustainable, low-carbon economy. This framework provides a clear, evidence-based roadmap to transition our heavy-duty transport from diesel to zero-exhaust-emission battery electric trucks. By focusing on the 20 priority highways and aiming for a seamless, EV-ready national network by 2035, we are not only reducing particulate emissions but also enhancing the long-term efficiency and competitiveness of India’s logistics ecosystem. Collaborative efforts like this, bridging government vision with industry expertise, are essential to accelerating the adoption of green energy in mobility at scale," says Badri Narayanan Gopalakrishnan, Fellow NITI (formerly Head, Trade, International Cooperation and Vision India@2047).
The Framework identifies key areas for action across infrastructure, demand, and operations. The full report is available here.
November 19, 2024 9:31 PM
India's first EV truck corridor launches on Bengaluru-Chennai route
The Climate Pledge and C40 Cities have launched a first-of-its-kind demonstration project in India, testing electric vehicle (EV) trucks along the 350-kilometre Bengaluru-Chennai highway corridor. The project brings together Amazon, Ashok Leyland, Billion-E, and ChargeZone to explore the potential of long-range electric freight transportation.
Billion-E will run 20 heavy-duty Ashok Leyland EV trucks of varying payloads (up to 55 tonnes) for six months along NH48, collecting real-time fleet data and demonstrating the technical, financial, and environmental viability of electric freight. Amazon will also use the corridor through ChargeZone's charging infrastructure.
The project is part of Laneshift, a zero-emission freight initiative launched by The Climate Pledge and C40 Cities in 2023. It is the first step in developing a network of connected EV freight highways in India, bringing together businesses, logistics providers, manufacturers, charging operators, and financiers.
Trucks represent just 3% of vehicles on India's roads but account for over 34% of carbon dioxide and 53% of particulate matter emissions in the transport sector. The number of medium- and heavy-duty trucks is expected to quadruple from four million in 2022 to roughly 17 million by 2050.
If electric trucks handled 60% of medium-duty and 35% of heavy-duty journeys along this route by 2035, it could prevent 231,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and generate fuel cost savings of $94 million.
The demonstration project is the result of a year-long collaboration. The team consulted with over 50 businesses, financial institutions, and government representatives, and analysed eight highway corridors before selecting Bengaluru-Chennai.
The project's results will inform a national EV Highway Roadmap for India, moving from demonstration to implementation with scalable solutions that sustain the growth of EV freight across the country.