THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 7, 2026

NITI Aayog-backed e-FAST India on Monday launched the Platform for Aggregating Clean Transport (PACT), a new initiative aimed at aggregating freight demand and accelerating the commercial deployment of zero-emission trucks across India.

The platform was launched by NITI Aayog Member Rajiv Gauba at the fifth e-FAST India Summit 2026 in the presence of Road Transport and Highways Secretary V Umashankar, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Heavy Industries Hanif Qureshi, NITI Aayog Project Director (Electric Mobility) Archana Mittal and World Resources Institute Executive Director Pawan Mulukutla, among others. The summit brought together around 250 participants from the industry, finance and freight ecosystem.

A flagship initiative under the e-FAST India platform, PACT will aggregate freight demand from shippers, logistics service providers (LSPs) and other stakeholders and translate it into deployment opportunities across identified freight corridors.

By bringing shippers, LSPs, vehicle manufacturers, financiers, charge point operators and other ecosystem partners onto a common platform, PACT seeks to improve visibility of freight demand, facilitate planning of charging infrastructure and strengthen the commercial case for electric medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

The initiative comes as India’s electric freight market gains momentum. E-freight vehicle deployments rose more than fourfold to 826 in FY26 from 201 in FY25, while more than 3,000 electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks are currently operating across the country.

Sustaining this growth will require coordinated efforts to aggregate demand, expand charging infrastructure, improve access to financing and provide greater certainty to fleet operators and investors, the summit highlighted.

 “While significant progress has been made in building domestic EV manufacturing capacity and supportive policy mechanisms, the next phase of growth will depend on our ability to address ecosystem-wide challenges through collaboration,” Gauba said.

He said the launch of PACT and the ZET Marketplace brings various ecosystem stakeholders together on a common platform.

 “As freight electrification gains momentum, innovative financing models, corridor-based charging infrastructure, and market-driven partnerships will be critical to accelerating the commercial adoption of e-trucks and strengthening India's clean mobility future,” Gauba said.

MoRTH Secretary V Umashankar said accelerating electric freight mobility would require innovation in logistics operations, financing, charging infrastructure and battery governance.

Measures such as battery health monitoring systems and new operating models for high-utilisation vehicles can improve transparency, strengthen resale value, reduce financing risks and unlock greater investment, he said.

 “With growing industry interest and rising demand, India is well positioned to build a scalable and commercially viable electric trucking ecosystem that advances both logistics competitiveness and energy security,” Umashankar said.

The summit also introduced the ZET Marketplace, an interactive business-engagement platform designed to connect e-truck manufacturers, LSPs, charge point operators, financiers and technology companies.

The marketplace provided participants an opportunity to showcase products, explore commercial opportunities and develop partnerships aimed at moving zero-emission freight projects from the planning stage to implementation.

Discussions during plenary and technical sessions focused on financing and de-risking mechanisms, charging infrastructure, policy priorities and lessons from early deployments.

The deliberations underscored the need to move beyond individual pilot projects towards coordinated and commercially viable deployment of zero-emission freight vehicles at scale.

With the launch of PACT and the ZET Marketplace, the e-FAST India platform is seeking to shift its focus from building market readiness towards enabling actual deployment, converting freight demand, investment interest and technology readiness into scalable zero-emission freight projects across the country.