New Delhi: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari flagged off Porter’s 10,000th electric truck in Delhi on Monday, marking a milestone in the company’s efforts to expand electric vehicle adoption in India’s urban goods transportation sector.
Porter said it currently has more than 50,000 electric vehicles operational every month across its network and plans to quadruple that number over the next five years as demand for cleaner urban freight solutions grows.
The milestone comes as India seeks to improve the efficiency and sustainability of freight movement through initiatives including PM Gati Shakti and the National Logistics Policy. Electric commercial vehicles are increasingly being seen as one route to lowering emissions from urban deliveries, though vehicle costs, charging infrastructure, financing and fleet utilisation remain important challenges to wider adoption.
Porter also said its technology-led logistics platform has helped eliminate 185 crore kilometres of empty vehicle runs, resulting in more than ₹1,000 crore in fuel import savings. Empty runs — trucks travelling without cargo between assignments — remain one of the less glamorous but expensive inefficiencies of the logistics business.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Gadkari said the milestone reflected increasing adoption of electric vehicles in India’s goods transportation industry.
“The flag-off of Porter’s 10,000th electric truck in Delhi is an encouraging reflection of the growing adoption of electric vehicles in India’s goods transportation sector. Over the last decade, India has made significant progress in building an ecosystem for electric mobility, and the next five to ten years will be critical to taking this journey further. With continued policy support, infrastructure development and innovation, we have an opportunity to make electric vehicles more affordable, safe and accessible, while strengthening India’s position as a global hub for manufacturing and exports. “
Uttam Digga, Co-Founder and CEO of Porter, said electric trucks could play a significant role in India’s shift towards cleaner freight, but cautioned that adoption would depend on solving operational and economic challenges.
“This is an important milestone in Porter’s journey and reflects the growing role that electric trucks can play in India’s goods transportation sector. Electric trucks have the potential to be a major part of India’s transition towards cleaner freight, but scaling their adoption will require continued innovation and solutions that address the practical realities of freight operations, from vehicle economics and charging infrastructure to financing and utilisation. Equally important will be ensuring that these vehicles are utilised effectively once they are on the road. As India works towards its vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047, we are proud to contribute to this journey.”
Pranav Goel, Co-Founder and Executive Vice Chairman of Porter, said cooperation between drivers, vehicle manufacturers, infrastructure providers and policymakers had been central to the company reaching the 10,000-truck milestone.
“The journey to 10,000 electric trucks has been one of collaboration – with driver-partners who have embraced the transition, with OEMs and EV infrastructure providers who have built the ecosystem, and with policymakers whose forward-looking vision has made this possible. Our focus now is to accelerate this momentum. This is not just about cleaner logistics; it is about creating a virtuous cycle where efficiency, sustainability, and driver-partner livelihoods grow together.”
The programme also included a panel discussion titled ‘The Future of Green Logistics: Electrification and Asset Utilisation’, moderated by Pawan Mulukutla, Executive Program Director, Integrated Transport, Clean Air and Hydrogen, WRI India.
Participants included Digga; Saurav Kumar, Founder and CEO of Euler Motors; and Pulkit Khurana, Co-Founder of Battery Smart.
The discussion covered measures needed to accelerate electric freight adoption, including stronger charging and battery-swapping infrastructure, better fleet productivity through digital platforms, improved vehicle utilisation and policy support for sustainable goods transportation.
The panel also examined the potential for dual utility of commercial vehicles to improve utilisation and reduce congestion — an important consideration in a sector where vehicle economics can depend as much on how many productive hours a truck spends on the road as on what powers it.
Porter said its digital goods transportation network serves more than 40 lakh micro, small and medium enterprises and 6 lakh driver-partners every month across 50 cities.
The wider test for India’s electric freight transition, however, will be whether such deployments can move beyond individual corporate milestones and achieve large-scale commercial viability. With urban deliveries expanding alongside e-commerce, retail and MSME activity, reducing emissions without slowing the movement of goods is likely to become an increasingly important part of India’s transport and logistics policy.
