Infraprime Logistics has contracted 27 etruck to Tata Steel

Gururam – An Indian start-up, Infraprime Logistics Technologies Pvt Ltd (IPLT)¹ of Gurugram (near Delhi) has contracted 27 electric commercial vehicles, each with a carrying capacity of 35 tonnes of steel (minimum) to Tata Steel Ltd, Mumbai. The company has tied up with a start-up to use e-CVs for transporting its finished steel.

This is the first deployment of EVs by any steel producer in the country for transportation of finished steel. Tata Steel plans to deploy 15 EVs at its Jamshedpur plant and 12 EVs at its Sahibabad plant. The first set of EVs for Tata Steel are being put in operation between Tata Steel BSL’s Sahibabad Plant and Pilkhuwa Stockyard in Uttar Pradesh.

Peeyush Gupta, VP – Supply Chain, (Designate) said: “Tata Steel has been a pioneer in introducing path-breaking initiatives in the past as well. While we have multiple initiatives focussed on customer service, this is a definitive step towards our commitment to environment. This initiative is also aligned to the Government’s larger climate agenda and will surely serve as a cornerstone and a way forward for the industry to follow.”

            The company launched its first electric truck model Rhino 5536* in August 2019 (covered in TBB India Nov 2019 edition). The company is planning to introduce two new electric truck models of 28 and 37t gvw.

¹Infraprime Logistics Technologies Private Limited was incorporated April 19, 2017 and is in Gurgaon, Haryana. The company has three directors - Chetan Singhal, Subodh Yadav, and Siddhartha Das. So far it has raised and invested a USD8m thus far in developing related infrastructure and setting up a manufacturing plant, which has a capacity to produce up to 50 vehicle per month on a single shift. The company also provides logistic and construction material services. They are logistics company, initiated the idea of electrification their vehicles to reduce the operating cost. Now they are looking at expansion as leasing of their trucks / rental via “TruckNow” application. They assemble chassis component in their factory and getting battery cells from china, Motors from Taiwan. Manufacturers names not revealed. Now they tied up with Faradion Ltd.  of UK to set up sodium ion batteries in India.

*The Rhino 5536 6x4 tractor unit can operate up to 60-tonnes gvw. Offering a range on a single charge of 200km when fully loaded, it is powered using a 265kWh Lithium Titanate battery pack that weighs more than two metric tonnes. It can be charged in under 90 minutes using a 160kW twin gun fast charger. The truck uses four major computer control systems – motor control, transmission, battery management, and battery charging system. It is featured with an automatic transmission for a two-speed operation. The IPLT electric truck is equipped with a sophisticated battery cooling system, where an in-built air conditioned secondary cooling system allows the liquid refrigerant to make direct contact with the cells rather than just the battery pack. (The battery pack maintains the temperature around each cell at below 35 degree Celsius even when the ambient temperature climbs above 50 degree Celsius).