Movement of freight forms a crucial part of the urban ecosystem, and is a fundamental part of the overall transportation supply chain. Such movement is usually catered to by both light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and medium and heavy commercial vehicles (M/HCVs) depending upon volume of goods carried, distance travelled, and the service area to be catered. Recently with the expansion of India cities, a demand boom has been observed in the Small Commercial Vehicles (SCVs) (which are <3.5 tonne GVW vehicles comprising both three-wheelers and four-wheelers). These vehicles cater to most of the mid-mile and last mile delivery services in urban centres and around the peripheral areas due to their size, ease of operation (inter-changeable use), and efficiency.

Freight vehicles in India, including SCVs, primarily rely on diesel and account for the highest share of diesel consumption within the sector. This has an impact on energy security of the country and also perpetuates several negative externalities such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and air pollution. Identification of alternative technology solutions like electrification is one of the key policy proposals under consideration to reduce the emissions footprint of this sector. Electrification can help decarbonize the sector to a large extent and maximize economic savings at national level and at an individual owner/driver level.

Objectives of this Study:

1. Capturing best practices (Indian and International), current scenario in Indian context, and benefits of electrification of urban freight sector

2. Potential and barriers to electrify freight transport: Case Studies of Bengaluru, Surat and Delhi

3. Estimation of energy and emission savings by electrification of urban freight

4. Potential areas of electrification of urban freight vehicles in the country

5. Stakeholder engagement and road map for electrification of the urban freight sector