Chinese company BYD has begun shipping a batch of 304 electric trucks to the Adani Group in India. The BYD Q1R electric trucks, which will be used as terminal tractors, are being transported by sea to four Adani Group ports in India.
The Adani Group has ordered a total of 400 BYD electric trucks, which are set to enter service later this year at ports in Ennore, Katupalli, Hazira, and Mundra. Five of the electric trucks have already arrived at the Katupalli port and have been put into operation.
The Adani Group is an Indian multinational corporation known for its coal mining operations and other ventures. It is also the leading port developer and operator in India. The BYD Q1R is a nearly six-meter-long tractor with an unladen weight of eight tons and a gross vehicle weight of nearly 42 tons.
The Q1R is intended for distribution and logistics operations over shorter distances, and is equipped with a 217 kWh battery (using LFP cells, typical for BYD) which allows for a range of 100 kilometers. Charging can be done using 40 kW AC (which takes six hours) or up to 120 kW DC (in two hours). The tractor is powered by a permanently excited synchronous motor that produces 180 kW and offers 1,500 Nm of torque.
This is the first major order for heavy-duty electric trucks for port operations in India for BYD. Liu Xueliang, General Manager of BYD’s Asia-Pacific Auto Sales Division, said: “BYD’s green energy technology applied to Adani’s ports will help Indian ports and the Indian market to achieve carbon neutrality as soon as possible and achieve sustainable, zero-emission development. This is of great significance and a starting point for BYD’s electric truck business development in India and even in the Asia-Pacific region.”
The Adani Group plans to deploy all 400 electric tractors in 2023. According to BYD, Adani Group aims to operate its ports “sustainably” by 2025 but has not provided specific details on what this entails.
