In a bid to help the nation adopt more electric mediums of transportation, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has requested Escorts to supply five electric tractors to the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF). The minister had a conversation with Nikhil Nanda, Chairman & MD, Escorts a few days ago, sources told Mobility Outlook.
Smaller in size compared to the ICE tractors used for agricultural work, these five electric tractors will be used as an alternative to other vehicles used by MCF for its daily operations, which includes but is not limited to carrying road repair material, building material and refurbishment of MCF maintained parks.
The move is a pilot test phase for gauging the commercials of electric technology in the tractor vertical. Choosing MCF as ground zero for testing electric tractors seems encouraged from the fact that Escorts has multiple manufacturing and corporate offices in the city.
Notably, Escorts is the only India-headquartered OEM exporting electric tractors from India. However, the OEM does not sell electric tractors in the country.
Sanjeev Bajaj, Chief Executive, Escorts Construction Equipment, in a conversation with Mobility Outlook, had confirmed that the company has the electrification tech ready for several of its construction equipment. The time, as per him, isn’t right yet to introduce such products in India. (Read the conversation with Sanjeev Bajaj here)
Gadkari also spoke to Nanda about exploring the possibility of working on larger electric tractors to suit Indian farmland and industrial conditions. While the five electric tractors that Escorts might supply to MCF will be able to be operated for two hours on a single charge, electric tractors for rural operations will need bigger batteries.
The minister, speaking at a recent sugar conference in Pune, had noted that the government was working on bringing electric tractors and electric trucks in the country. He had also highlighted that the government was encouraging OEMs to explore CNG as a fuel for more and more machinery used in agricultural operations.
India recorded yearly tractor sales of 899,429 units during FY21, which was 27% higher than the 709,002 units sold in FY20. Majority of the tractors are diesel-powered in India. Presently, no OEM sells electric tractors in the country.