For clean air, Delhi must electrify its truck fleet
One way to stimulate that demand is to convert government fleets to electric. In February of last year, the Delhi government mandated that its entire hired car fleet switch to electric and a similar approach can be adopted for freight vehicles
The joy around the showers and favourable climatic conditions that brought cleaner air to Delhi in September and October was short-lived. In the wake of the air quality index entering the “severe-plus” category, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) recently issued an order temporarily banning most commercial vehicles and trucks that run on diesel from plying in Delhi. This is another reminder of the need to clean up local sources of pollution. Electric trucks are a crucial part of the solution.
Although air pollution is a year-round problem, data suggests it becomes worse in winter. This is because many sources pollute Delhi’s air. Internal sources lie within Delhi’s jurisdiction and include transport, solid waste and road dust. External sources (outside Delhi’s boundary) include farm fires and pollution from the industries in neighbouring states.
A 2018 study by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) identified motor vehicle exhaust fumes as the primary source of internal pollutants in Delhi and found that it’s about 40% of the city’s PM2.5 emissions. To address vehicular exhaust emissions, the Delhi government launched the Delhi Electric Vehicles (EV) Policy in August 2020. The policy has resulted in EV uptake, particularly in the two- and three-wheeler segments. EVs were less than 1% of new vehicle registrations in Delhi in 2019-20, but went up to 10% in 2021-22. Here’s why it’s time to add electric trucks.
The eastern and western peripheral expressways were constructed around Delhi to bypass the non-destined traffic from Delhi. It was a good move, but there is also a considerable amount of traffic destined for Delhi because the bulk of the products consumed in the city come via road from other states. There are no official statistics, but reports suggest that around 70,000–80,000 trucks enter Delhi daily, bringing goods from milk and vegetables to computers and medicines. In addition, an extensive fleet of trucks operates within Delhi’s boundaries, and all of them are on internal combustion engines. The ARAI and TERI study also found that trucks accounted for almost a third of PM2.5 emissions from transport in Delhi. Two-wheelers and three-wheelers accounted for 26% and 18% of PM2.5 emissions, respectively. Therefore, cleaner trucks are key to a cleaner vehicle fleet in Delhi.
Delhi’s push toward compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles, most importantly from the Supreme Court order of 2002, impacted medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks (MHDTs), and the sale of new CNG MHDTs overtook sales of diesel MHDTs in FY 2017–18. Research shows that natural gas, which consists mainly of methane, contains about a quarter less carbon per energy unit than diesel. However, methane leakage, which can happen at various points along the fuel supply chain and during combustion in an engine, can quickly turn natural gas from an asset to a liability from the climate crisis perspective.
In addition, rapid motorisation negated the carbon benefit of the CNG transition. Therefore, zero-emission vehicles are the only solution, and battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are the two possible technologies that can deliver zero-tailpipe emissions. The hydrogen fuel cell technology is in the early development phase, while battery electric trucks are already in operation. More than 66,000 heavy-duty trucks are running worldwide, and the market is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years.
Most electric trucks on the roads today are in Europe, China, and the United States (US). A lot of this is due to active policy pushes. For example, California has committed to transitioning to 100% zero-emission trucks by 2045. Norway has set a 50% zero-emission sales target for new heavy-duty trucks by 2030. Austria will require that 100% of new registrations of heavy-duty vehicles less than 18 tonnes be zero-emission starting 2030 and for those greater than 18 tonnes, beginning 2035.
We don’t have zero-emission trucks in India, though, and a key to changing that is to catalyse demand. For example, the Delhi government has many owned and hired vehicles, including garbage disposal trucks, water tankers, and horticulture trucks. One way to stimulate that demand is to convert government fleets to electric. In February of last year, the Delhi government mandated that its entire hired car fleet switch to electric and a similar approach can be adopted for freight vehicles.
Delhi has already played a crucial role in mainstreaming the electrification of two-wheelers and three-wheelers in the Capital, thanks to its EV policy. However, it is time for Delhi to also support the electrification of trucks. This will benefit the city’s air quality hugely and catalyse the demand for electric trucks in the country, which is also vital from an air quality perspective. Further, it will help achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of going net-zero by 2070.
Amit Bhatt, is managing director (India), ICCT & Anirudh Narla is associate researcher, ICCTThe views expressed are personal