e-FAST - India’s First National Electric Freight Platform
- 15 Sep 2022
On 8th September 2022, NITI Aayog, in collaboration with World Resources Institute (WRI), India, launched the country’s first national electric freight platform – e-FAST India (Electric Freight Accelerator for Sustainable Transport – India).
- Supported by the World Economic Forum, CALSTART and RMI India, the platform brings different stakeholders together, from across the freight ecosystem.
Need for e-FAST – India: Decarbonisation & to Meet COP26 Commitments
- The transport sector, which contributes almost 14% to India’s total energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, urgently needs a decarbonization master plan.
- The transport sector is projected to have the fastest growing emissions among all other sectors and road freight transport is set to play a significant role in that growth.
- Driven by rapid economic growth and consumption patterns in India, on-road freight heavy duty vehicles (HDVs) are expected to contribute 60% of the total transport sector emissions by 2050 by some projections.
- India’s ability to meet its COP26 commitments and newly formed NDCs depends on developing an effective road map for the decarbonization of its transport sector, particularly for road freight movement.
Aim of e-FAST - India
- The platform aims to raise awareness on freight electrification bolstered by on-ground demonstration pilots and evidence-based research.
Benefits of this Platform
- Innovative Solutions: It will help strengthen partnerships and identify and support innovative freight solutions.
- Reduce Emission: Road freight is a high-impact area for reducing transport emissions. Expanding fleet sizes and operations, has its implications on greenhouse gas emissions. India being the third-largest truck market, after China and the United States, early adoption of zero-emission trucks would be instrumental in not only accelerating domestic climate imperatives but also in supporting global climate action.
- Control Fuel Price Volatility: It will help control fuel price volatility.
- Impetus to Electric Freight: It will also help in transition to electric freight. It will support scalable pilots and inform policies aimed at accelerating freight electrification in India.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Evaluator: An Important Component of e-FAST - India
The launch of e-FAST India was followed with WRI India unveiling its Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) EValuator.
About TCO Evaluator
- Performance Evaluator of Electric vs. other Variants: The TCO Evaluator is an intuitive excel-based application. It analyses cost components and performance parameters of light/medium/heavy-duty freight, and compares electric variants with its diesel/petrol/CNG counterparts, to identify their impact on TCO per km.
- Insights to Policy Formulation: This comparison offers valuable insights to policy makers, fleet operators, manufacturers and owners.
Role of Freight Sector to Economy
- The freight sector plays a key role in India’s economy enabling the delivery of goods and critical resources.
- During the COVID crisis, the freight sector sustained its growth, despite disruptions, ensuring a steady movement of essential goods and medical supplies across India.
