E-commerce driving the numbers
Ashok Leyland, at the end of last year, jumped into the large-scale electric space with its Boss electric truck. It has a claimed range of 230km and can be configured in multiple load layouts with a maximum capacity of 12.5 tonnes. In an interaction with Mobility Outlook, Sanjeev Kumar, President of MHCV, Ashok Leyland, said that e-commerce players like Flipkart and Amazon were the biggest takers for these vehicles with the major reason being to fulfil their ESG goals.
LNG also in the pipeline
Along with electric mobility, the automaker has also invested in LNG as a power source but, in the present at least, it is expected to make an even smaller contribution to the numbers due to the developing LNG infrastructure present in the country. However, AL sees this line of mobility growing in the future due to it meeting future emission norms and also offering lowered running costs when compared to petrol and diesel.
Treading cautiously
However, while there is demand, the automaker is treating this production segment with caution and sees demand picking up only once charging infrastructure is fully built into place. Its sister company, Gulf Oil, is investing in charging infra and Ashok Leyland is expected to collaborate with them in the future to combine their resources and establish a full ecosystem.
The automaker hopes to move 500 units across electric and LNG in the FY. One of the major hindering factors for bigger numbers is the total cost of ownership with these electric vehicles, where the biggest number is the initial acquisition cost going to almost two to three times the equivalent diesel or CNG-powered model.
Mini-expo
The automaker is currently hosting a series of mini expos across the country, showcasing its latest products for the Indian market. The first edition is currently underway at Hall-1 of the Cidco Bhavan in Navi Mumbai in the period of 16 August and 17 August.