UltraTech Cement Limited, India’s largest producer of cement and ready-mix concrete, is scaling up its use of electric vehicles (EV trucks) in its logistics network. The company has signed a new contract for the deployment of 100 EV trucks to transport 75,000 MT of clinker each month from its Dhar Cement Works in Madhya Pradesh to its Dhule Cement Works in Maharashtra, a roundtrip distance of approximately 400 kilometers.
This move makes UltraTech the first cement manufacturer in India to utilize electric trucks on such a large scale for long-distance transport. By replacing fossil-fuel trucks with EVs, the company expects to cut transport-related CO2 emissions by around 17,000 MT annually.
The new deployment follows a successful pilot project that began in January 2024, where UltraTech introduced five electric trucks for the same route. The pilot also included the installation of charging infrastructure and extensive driver training. The company is exploring additional routes for EV trucks and plans another pilot for clinker transport between two of its other manufacturing facilities.
Mr. K C Jhanwar, Managing Director of UltraTech Cement, stated, “UltraTech is committed to achieving its Net Zero goal by 2050, and this initiative is part of our broader strategy to integrate sustainability into our operations. Expanding the use of electric trucks in our logistics is a significant step toward reducing the environmental impact of our business.”
As part of India’s eFAST initiative, it aims to deploy 500 electric trucks by June 2025. The company is also a pioneer in introducing ‘Green Logistics,’ with the rollout of CNG and LNG trucks in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Currently, UltraTech operates over 468 CNG trucks and 67 LNG trucks to support transportation across its facilities.
UltraTech Cement, a subsidiary of the Aditya Birla Group, is a leading global cement manufacturer, with a production capacity of 156.06 MTPA. As the third-largest cement producer outside of China, UltraTech is committed to sustainability and has pledged to achieve Net Zero by 2050, aligning with the GCCA Climate Ambition 2050 and the Net Zero Concrete Roadmap.
