Meanwhile, vehicles running on compressed or liquified natural gas – although lower on emissions than diesel and vital for ensuring India’s energy security – fall short of achieving the target of net-zero emissions.
With multiple new vehicle technologies disrupting the automotive industry, commercial vehicle makers are hedging their bets across half-a-dozen fuel technologies, showcasing the widest range of alternate fuel technologies at the Auto Expo 2023.
Market leader Tata Motors showcased commercial vehicles with propulsion technologies including battery-electric, compressed natural gas (CNG), flex fuel, hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen combustion engine.
“For us it is not only about electric vehicles; it is about every new technology,” Tata Motors chairman N Chandrasekaran said.
Rival Ashok Leyland has taken a similar path, with investments in battery-electric through its subsidiary Switch Mobility as well as liquified natural gas (LNG) and CNG-powered vehicles, among others. Meanwhile, VE Commercial Vehicles showcased a Volvo-branded electric truck along with Eicher-branded LNG and CNG trucks and an electric bus.
“Commercial vehicles are different from passenger vehicles,” said Saravanan N, chief technology officer of Ashok Leyland. “For passenger vehicles, the transition will be more or less from combustion engines to electric, but commercial vehicles will have a host of technologies.”
The dilemma is created by a host of reasons, experts said. Battery electric vehicle technology has not matured enough to power bulky trucks hauling multiple tonnes of cargo. Meanwhile, vehicles running on compressed or liquified natural gas – although lower on emissions than diesel and vital for ensuring India’s energy security – fall short of achieving the target of net-zero emissions.
Vehicle makers have pinned their hopes on hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine vehicles for making the commercial vehicles industry clean. These vehicles largely emit water vapour from the tailpipe while also use most components used in diesel-powered trucks today. However, hydrogen supply chain and maturity of this technology is still some time away.
While the commercial vehicle industry is investing in the future, manufacturers have had little to cheer in the past five years when sales languished. But green shoots of a recovery in sales due to a rebound of the Indian economy and the government’s infrastructure push has boosted the industry’s morale.
“The tailwinds today are stronger than the headwinds and we expect a double-digit growth this year,” said Girish Wagh, executive director, Tata Motors.
Keyword: Auto Expo 2023: Commercial vehicle makers hedge fuel technology bets