Transport logistics service provider Porter plans to expand its electric vehicle (EV) fleet to 3 lakh vehicles across India by 2030, as the company looks to improve asset utilisation, optimise vehicle categories and build a more efficient and sustainable logistics network.
Speaking at the launch of the company’s 10,000th electric truck in Delhi, Porter co-founder and CEO Uttam Digga said the company aims to take its services to more than 100 cities over the next five years while keeping logistics costs affordable for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
“From Porter’s standpoint, we feel that we would take our services to more than 100 cities in the next five years and it is important to take an efficient solution everywhere,” Digga said.
Porter operates an on-demand intra-city goods transportation platform using technology-enabled, asset-light models and a network of partner drivers. Its services cover multiple vehicle categories and are primarily targeted at SMEs.
Porter targets 10 million SME customers
By 2030, Porter aims to serve more than 10 million SME customers, while increasing overall vehicle utilisation to as much as 80 per cent.
The company also plans to raise the average number of trips completed by each vehicle from the current 1.5 trips per day to 2.5 trips per day.
Digga said improving vehicle utilisation will be critical to bringing down logistics costs while simultaneously improving earnings for driver partners.
“Today, on an average, a truck does only 1.5 trips a day. This is very less. It means that the vehicle is only utilised for somewhere around three hours. Our commitment to this network is that we would enhance the utilisation of the vehicles to close to 2.5 trips per day,” he said.
Smaller vehicles key to higher utilisation
According to Digga, changing market requirements are partly responsible for the current low utilisation levels. The logistics market is increasingly moving towards smaller and more frequent shipments, which require faster delivery and greater flexibility.
Porter believes innovation in smaller vehicle categories will be important to improving fleet utilisation and meeting evolving customer requirements.
The company expects higher utilisation to create benefits across its ecosystem, including lower logistics costs for SMEs and improved earnings for its driver partners.
Porter calls for simpler EV regulations
Digga also called for simplification of taxation and transportation laws to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in goods transportation.
He said a simpler regulatory framework could encourage wider participation in the EV-led logistics segment and support the development of a cleaner and more efficient urban freight ecosystem.
With its 2030 targets, Porter is positioning electric mobility and higher asset utilisation as key pillars of its expansion strategy, while seeking to make intra-city logistics more affordable and efficient for India’s growing SME sector.
