When Madhya Pradesh launched the second phase of its electric vehicle (EV) policy in February 2025, it became the first state in India to support electric truck (e-truck) deployment. A few months later, Maharashtra announced its EV policy, with a clear target for e-trucks to reach 20% of new sales by 2030. Both came after the ministry of heavy industries launched the PM E-DRIVE scheme, which includes demand incentives for e-trucks, in October 2024.

Madhya Pradesh’s EV policy exempts e-trucks from motor vehicle tax and registration fees for two years, and Maharashtra’s policy provides a purchase subsidy of ₹20 lakh for the first 1,000 e-trucks registered in the state. Given that research by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) estimates the total cost of ownership of e-trucks being 1.2–1.6 times higher than their diesel counterparts, such state-level incentives, combined with the PM E-DRIVE, can play bridge the gap in the cost of ownership for e-trucks and even make it cheaper than that of diesel trucks.

State-level support for the transition to e-trucks is particularly important because the diverse use-cases and unique drive cycles of the truck segment make it quite different from other segments, including light-duty vehicles. Indeed, initial........

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