Eicher Trucks and Buses, a division of VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) Limited, has joined hands with ITC Limited to promote sustainable and environment-friendly mid-mile logistics solutions across various ITC locations in India.
As part of this collaboration, ITC, through its vendor partners, will progressively deploy over 100 units of India’s first 5.5-tonne electric vehicle, the Eicher Pro 2055 EV, for mid-mile transportation from ITC warehouses to customer locations. First deliveries started from December 2023 and initial deployment includes the key metros of Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, and Ahmedabad. This collaboration reflects the shared vision of both brands, to reduce their carbon footprint and support India’s ‘Net Zero’ commitments.
Vinod Aggarwal, Managing Director and CEO of VECV, said, “VECV is delighted to partner with ITC Limited and take this big step together. This is very much in line with VECV’s idea of providing modern solutions for modern logistics, focused on higher productivity and efficiency. Eicher Pro 2055 EV’s are supported by a 100% connected ecosystem, powered by My Eicher app and industry first Uptime Centre to secure maximum uptime for Eicher customers.”
Eicher Pro 2055 EV is building on the tradition of delivering best-in-lass fuel efficiency and profitability. The 12ft deck-length truck will be furnished with two complete container solutions. It will offer both fast and slow charging alternatives tailored to specific application requirements. The service package takes into account the availability of charging infrastructure, operational needs, charging time limitations, battery capacity, and overall energy management strategies for the fleet. Additionally, the vehicle will feature Eicher’s advanced telematics solution and will be supported by the My Eicher services.
Sandeep Sule, Divisional Chief Executive, Trade Marketing and Distribution, ITC Limited, said, “Building agile, resilient and green supply chains is an integral part of the ITC Next Strategy which is aimed at shaping the next horizon of growth and structural competitiveness”. Towards this, we are partnering with various stakeholders for deployment of EVs in end-to-end logistics operations. This will boost our commitment towards the Green Logistics and sustainable Supply Chain.”
The deployment of electric vehicles will immensely help in promoting a planet friendly and cleaner transportation system aimed at cutting down carbon emissions. Mr. Sule also emphasised on the need of enhancing the current EV charging infrastructure to increase the share of usage of electric vehicles.