~ Cement major orders around 250 Montra electric trucks for a 1,450-km industrial corridor across four states, in one of India's largest long-haul EV freight deployments
Nimbahera,
Rajasthan : Montra Electric (eM&HCV Division),
India's full-spectrum electric commercial vehicle brand, and Wonder Cement
today announced the deployments of around 250 heavy-duty electric trucks, Rhino
5538 EV 4×2 TT, marking
one of the largest electric truck commitments in Indian industry and a
significant step in the electrification of India's long-haul freight sector.
The trucks
will operate across the Nimbahera–Dahej Port and Nimbahera–Tuna Port routes,
spanning approximately 1,450 km across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra
and Gujarat, making this India's longest commercial electric freight
corridor. The fleet will run fully loaded, on daily duty cycles, in line
with the operational schedule of a conventional diesel cement fleet,
demonstrating that electric trucks are equipped to meet the demands of
long-haul freight, irrespective of distance.
The corridor
is supported by dedicated charging infrastructure comprising, 13 charging
stations with 39 chargers, enabling the fleet to sustain daily long-distance
duty cycles within the turnaround times required by industrial logistics
operations.
The Montra
Electric Rhino 5538 EV 4x2 TT is a 55-tonne Gross Combination Weight (GCW)
electric heavy-duty tractor-trailer, purpose-built for demanding industrial
applications such as steel and cement transport. It is powered by a 282 kWh
Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery paired with a Permanent Magnet Synchronous
Motor (PMSM), delivering 280 kW of peak power and 2,000 Nm of torque, with an
18% gradeability and a 6-speed Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) to handle
sustained heavy loads.
The truck
offers a tested range of up to 198 km per charge on a one-way loaded, one-way
empty duty cycle, reflecting real-world operating conditions. It is available
in two configurations: a standard fixed-battery variant capable of
fast-charging from 20% to 100% State of Health (SOH) in about 60 minutes, and a
battery-swap variant that enables a full battery replacement in under 6
minutes, minimising downtime on high-utilisation routes like this one.
The
deployment directly addresses the three constraints that have historically
limited the adoption of electric trucks in India's long-haul freight segment:
range, payload and sustained battery performance under heavy load. By deploying
its fleet on one of the country's busiest cement corridors, Montra Electric
aims to establish a replicable operating model for other bulk-cargo industries.
At full
deployment, the 250 Rhino 5538 EV 4×2 TT fleet is expected to save 39,500
tonnes of CO₂ annually.
Mr. Kiran
Patil, Managing Director, Wonder Cement, said,
"Sustainability is at the core of Wonder Cement’s growth strategy, driving
innovation across our entire value chain. The deployment of around 250 electric
trucks on a 1,450-km industrial corridor is a significant step toward
decarbonizing logistics and reducing our environmental footprint beyond
manufacturing. In partnership with Montra Electric, we are demonstrating that
long-haul freight electrification is both operationally reliable and
commercially viable. This initiative reinforces our commitment to responsible
growth and supports India’s transition to a cleaner, low-carbon future while
setting new sustainability benchmarks for the cement industry."
Speaking on
the occasion, Mr. Jalaj Gupta, Managing Director, Montra Electric (TI Clean
Mobility Pvt. Ltd.), said: "India's freight emissions are
concentrated on its long-haul industrial corridors, and that is where
electrification has to prove itself. With Wonder Cement, we are putting
electric heavy trucks into daily, fully loaded, long duty cycles on one of the
country's busiest freight routes. This deployment moves the question from
'whether electric trucks can handle long-haul freight?' to 'how quickly fleets
can scale them?' It underpins our commitment to deploy around 250 electric
heavy commercial vehicles across India's key industrial corridors."
Mr. Navneet
Sethi, CEO (eM&HCV division), Montra Electric (IPLTech Electric Pvt. Ltd.), added:
"We are grateful to Wonder Cement for its partnership and confidence in
this deployment. Demonstrating commercial and operational viability on an
intensive 1,450-km industrial corridor establishes that sustainable long-haul
logistics is ready to scale today. Our vehicles have been engineered for
precisely these conditions at high utilisation, heavy payloads and demanding
turnaround times. We are proud to work with Wonder Cement in setting this
precedent for the industry."
The Wonder
Cement partnership forms part of Montra Electric's broader commitment to deploy
more than 250 electric heavy commercial vehicles across major industrial
corridors in India.