Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday flagged off Porter’s 10,000th electric truck in Delhi, marking a milestone in the adoption of electric vehicles in India’s urban goods transportation sector, ANI reported.
The company said the milestone reflects its efforts to promote cleaner freight movement as the government pushes for more efficient and sustainable logistics under initiatives such as PM Gati Shakti and the National Logistics Policy.
Porter said it has so far eliminated 185 crore km of empty vehicle runs through its technology-led logistics platform, resulting in fuel import savings of more than Rs 1,000 crore. The company currently has more than 50,000 electric vehicles operating on its platform every month and plans to quadruple that number over the next five years.
“Over the last decade, India has made significant progress in building an ecosystem for electric mobility, and the next five to 10 years will be critical to taking this journey further,” Gadkari said at the event.
He said continued policy support, infrastructure development and innovation would be needed to make electric vehicles more affordable, safe and accessible while strengthening India’s position in manufacturing and exports.
Porter co-founder and CEO Uttam Digga said electric trucks could play a major role in reducing emissions from freight transportation, but their wider adoption would depend on improvements in vehicle economics, charging infrastructure, financing and fleet utilisation.
Porter co-founder and Executive Vice Chairman Pranav Goel said the company’s expansion of its electric fleet had involved collaboration with driver-partners, vehicle manufacturers, charging and infrastructure providers and policymakers.
The event also included a panel discussion on the future of green logistics, focusing on electric freight adoption, charging and battery-swapping infrastructure, digital technologies to improve fleet productivity and policies supporting sustainable goods transportation, according to ANI.
Porter said it serves more than 4 million MSMEs and 600,000 driver-partners every month across 50 cities, and plans to expand the use of technology and cleaner vehicles in its logistics operations.
