Montra Electric, TVS VMS deploy 57 e-trucks, target 300-plus in FY27

TVS VMS will deploy the first batch of Rhino electric heavy commercial vehicles on a 190-km freight route in Chhattisgarh, supported by dedicated charging stations

Montra Electric’s electric medium and heavy commercial vehicle (eM&HCV) division on Friday announced a strategic collaboration with TVS Vehicle Mobility Solutions (TVS VMS), part of the TVS Mobility Group.

 

TVS VMS has entered electric trucking for the first time by opting to put its first fleet of Montra Electric’s Rhino electric medium and heavy commercial vehicles (MHCVs) into live freight operations. The development assumes significance as TVS has operated conventional fossil fuel-based trucks during its more than seven decades in commercial trucking.

 

To mark the development, 57 Montra Electric Rhino 5538 EV 4x2 TT electric heavy commercial trucks were flagged off at Manesar on Friday.

   

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 over a 190-km lead distance, supported by three strategically located dedicated charging stations to ensure continuous uptime and operational continuity.

 

The deployment represents another step in India’s transition towards green mobility by reducing carbon emissions and diesel consumption, and promoting sustainable transportation. The project is designed to deliver lower operating costs and a reduced total cost of ownership (TCO) for freight customers while contributing to India’s net-zero and clean-energy goals.

 

The flag-off ceremony brought together senior leadership from both organisations. Montra Electric was represented by Navneet Sethi, chief executive officer of its eM&HCV division, and P V Satyanarayana, chief business officer, along with the Montra Electric team. TVS Vehicle Mobility Solutions was represented by Madhu Raghunath, chief executive officer, and K Ramesh, head of EV business, along with its leadership team.

 

Speaking on the partnership, Jalaj Gupta, managing director of 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.”

 

Navneet Sethi, chief executive officer of Montra Electric’s 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.”

 

Raghunath, chief executive officer of TVS VMS, said: “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 the collaboration, Montra Electric and TVS VMS aim to deploy more than 300 electric trucks during FY27, reinforcing their shared focus on clean and sustainable commercial transportation.

 

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 tractor-trailer designed 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. It also offers 18 per cent gradeability and a six-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 per cent to 100 per cent in about 60 minutes, and a battery-swap variant that allows a full battery replacement in under six minutes, minimising downtime on high-utilisation routes.