~Two companies, part of legacy groups
that have over 200 years of combined experience,
join hands to build a cleaner and better Bharat~
~Joint commitment targets 300+
e-trucks in FY 2026–27~
MANESAR — Montra Electric (eM&HCV
Division), India's full-spectrum electric commercial vehicle brand, today
announced a strategic collaboration with TVS Vehicle Mobility Solutions (TVS
VMS), part of TVS Mobility Group. TVS VMS has entered into electric
trucking for the first time by opting to put its first fleet of Montra Electric’s
Rhino e-M&HCVs into live freight operations. This development assumes significance
given that TVS has been operating conventional fossil fuel-based trucks in its
over seven decades of commercial trucking history.
To mark this landmark, 57 Montra Electric
Rhino 5538 EV 4x2 TT electric heavy commercial trucks were at Manesar today. As
part of the first phase of deployment, TVS VMS will deploy the Rhino eHCVs for
commercial freight operations on a primary logistics route in Chhattisgarh. The
trucks will operate across a 190 km lead distance, supported by three
strategically located, dedicated charging stations to ensure continuous uptime
and seamless operational continuity.
This deployment represents another
significant milestone in India's transition towards green mobility by
drastically reducing carbon emissions, lowering diesel consumption, and
promoting sustainable transportation. The project is engineered to deliver lower
operating costs and a reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for freight
customers while directly contributing to India's Net Zero carbon and clean
energy goals.
The flag-off ceremony brought
together senior leadership from both organisations, underscoring the strategic
weight of this collaboration. Montra Electric was led by Mr. Navneet Sethi,
Chief Executive Officer (CEO - eM&HCV Division), and Mr. P.V.
Satyanarayana, Chief Business Officer (CBO), alongside the Montra Electric
team, while TVS Vehicle Mobility Solutions was led by Mr. Madhu Raghunath,
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and Mr. K. Ramesh, Head – EV Business, alongside
the TVS VMS leadership team.
Speaking on the partnership, Mr.
Jalaj Gupta, Managing Director, Montra Electric, said: "For a partner like TVS VMS,
with seven decades of experience to put our electric trucks into live freight
operations is exactly the validation India's logistics industry needed. This is
proof that our technology is ready for commercial scale. It also reflects the
depth of what we've built at Montra Electric with products engineered to
address the specific operational needs of this market. Our team worked with TVS
VMS to plan the operations, set up charging around their exact routes, and our
telematics platform keeps optimising performance as the fleet runs. That's the
difference between a truck that works on paper and a fleet that works on the
road."
Mr. Navneet Sethi, CEO, Montra
Electric (eM&HCV Division), said: " For years, industries built around heavy,
continuous haulage, steel being a prime example, have questioned whether
electric HCVs can genuinely stand up to sustained heavy-load freight, and that scepticism
has shaped how slowly this sector has moved toward electrification. TVS VMS
putting our Rhino trucks into live operations answers that question decisively,
for us and for every heavy-load industry watching closely. This is a company
with over seven decades of running conventional trucking now choosing to enter
electric trucking for the first time, and choosing us to do it is validation that
our platform can handle the demands of commercial-scale freight. For Montra
Electric, this is a marker of how electric heavy trucking moves from
possibility to standard practice in India, and we intend to lead that shift at
national scale."
Mr. Raghunath, CEO of TVS VMS, added: "This strategic partnership
marks a decisive step in advancing India's green logistics infrastructure. TVS
Vehicle Mobility Solutions is proud to power this transition through our
full-suite, end-to-end lifecycle management platform—integrating vehicle
leasing, driver operations, maintenance, insurance, charging ecosystem, and
connected telematics to make zero-emission fleet operations effortless and
commercially viable."
Building on this successful
collaboration, Monta Electric and TVS VMS aim to deploy more than 300 electric
trucks during FY 2026–27, reinforcing their shared vision of transforming
commercial transportation through clean and sustainable mobility solutions.
The Montra Rhino 5538 EV 4x2 TT,
manufactured at the Montra Electric (IPL Tech Electric Pvt Ltd) plant in
Manesar, is a 55-tonne Gross Combination Weight (GCW) electric heavy-duty
truck. tractor-trailer, purpose-built for demanding long haul applications. 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.