Delhi govt to study feasibility of converting its trucks into EVs: Report

The transport department will soon start a study to examine the feasibility of converting government trucks into electric vehicles to reduce pollution levels in Delhi, officials said on Friday. The study, to be conducted by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), will commence next week and the recommendations will be submitted in a couple of months.

Explaining the idea behind the study, Amit Bhatt, ICCT managing director (India), told PTI, "We are trying to see if we can electrify the government trucks like garbage disposal trucks, water tankers, horticulture trucks. In order to do that, we will see their energy consumption so that in future, when they are electrified, we will know what kind of battery they will need and the charging infrastructure that will be needed."

Bhatt said trucks cause a lot of emission and their electrification is needed. "We have finalised the data collection method and will start the study soon," he added. As part of the study, an onboard device will be installed in the vehicle that will capture data related to its mobility profile and energy consumption in various phases, he said.

"The data will be simulated on our software and it will be studied how much benefit will be derived from its electrification. It will be assessed how big a battery will be needed since the cost of the battery is the main thing. Charging infrastructure will also be needed. We will install these devices in 10-15 vehicles," he said.

Bhatt said between 50,000 and 70,000 trucks enter Delhi every day and it is important to curb their emissions. He said most of the cities are encouraging electric vehicles in the two-wheeler and three-wheeler space but electrification of trucks has not been done anywhere.