India: Dalmia Cement deploys 24 electric heavy-duty trucks
Indian cement manufacturer Dalmia Cement has deployed 24 electric heavy-duty trucks in its logistics operations. The company has partnered with Delhi-based electric logistics service provider SwitchLabs and Pune, Maharashtra-based electric truck manufacturer Energy In Motion for this initiative.
Image: Dalmia Cement
Dalmia Cement has replaced some of the diesel trucks it used to transport petcoke, slag and gypsum with electric trucks. It transports these bulk raw materials from Karaikal Port in Puducherry to its production facilities in Dalmiapuram and Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu, both located about 140 kilometres from the port.
The company estimates the 24 electric trucks will collectively travel nearly 2.9 million kilometres and avoid approximately 3,735 tonnes of CO 2 emissions annually. The emissions estimate is based on an assumption that renewable energy will account for approximately 70 per cent of the electricity used for charging, with the remainder supplied by the grid.
Aiming to reduce idle time for the electric truck fleet, Dalmia Cement and SwitchLabs have developed a trailer-swap operating model. The tractor and trailer carry separate registrations, allowing the fleet operator to connect the tractor to another trailer while the original trailer is being unloaded.
Energy In Motion appears to have supplied its 55-tonne Ashwa electric tractor to Dalmia Cement through SwitchLabs. Initially, the company used to offer this model with only a 282 kWh LFP battery pack that can be swapped in less than seven minutes. This July, it homologated a variant with a 350 kWh battery pack that offers a longer range and makes the model suitable for a wider range of applications.
None of the three companies has shared the technical specifications of the new 24 electric trucks deployed for use between Karaikal Port and the cement plants in Dalmiapuram and Ariyalur. Dalmia Cement is also using electric tipper trucks at these factories as part of a separate agreement with SwitchLabs.
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