Energy in Motion has opened an electric truck manufacturing complex at Ambi in Talegaon, Pune, as part of a planned Rs 1,000-crore investment in Maharashtra aimed at expanding electric heavy commercial vehicle production and battery-swapping infrastructure. The facility, opened on October 14, combines vehicle assembly, lithium-ion battery pack manufacturing and battery testing under one roof.
The company said the complex has an annual capacity of 5,000 vehicles per shift and will manufacture electric trucks, tractor-trailers and dumpers. The first phase was completed in just over a year after Energy in Motion signed a memorandum of understanding, the company said.
The facility is expected to create more than 2,000 direct and indirect jobs, in addition to opportunities in design, research and development and information technology. By locating vehicle assembly, battery production and testing within the same complex, the company said it intends to strengthen its manufacturing and technology-development capabilities for the electric heavy-vehicle market.
Energy in Motion is also developing a nationwide network of battery-swapping and charging stations along major highways, at ports and in industrial complexes. The proposed megawatt-scale hubs will be designed to swap batteries in Energy in Motion vehicles and other compatible models in less than seven minutes, according to the company.
The planned stations will also provide fast charging for vehicles fitted with charging sockets compliant with the CCS-2 standard under India’s Bureau of Indian Standards framework. The proposed network is intended to address the operational requirements of electric heavy vehicles, which need charging or energy-replacement facilities that can support longer freight routes and shorter turnaround times.
“We now focus on building out a nationwide network of megawatt-scale charging and battery swapping stations to enable India’s speedy transition from diesel to electric heavy goods transportation,” Energy in Motion managing director Narendra Murkumbi said.
The company has technology partnerships with China’s BAIC Foton Motor for electric heavy vehicles, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd for battery technology and Shanghai Enneagon Energy Technology for robotic battery-swapping systems. Energy in Motion said Foton Motor sold more than 650,000 commercial vehicles last year, while CATL accounted for a 39 percent share of the global battery market. It also said Shanghai Enneagon has built more than 1,600 battery-swapping stations worldwide.
The Talegaon project places manufacturing and energy infrastructure at the centre of Energy in Motion’s electric-truck strategy. Its next stated focus is the development of the nationwide charging and battery-swapping network needed to support the deployment of its vehicles and compatible models.
