Kerala lays groundwork for India’s first electric truck corridor on NH 66

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is preparing to develop the 622-km stretch of National Highway 66 from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram as India’s first electric truck corridor, with a study identifying the charging infrastructure and power capacity needed for the transition.

A study by the Kerala State Electricity Board Limited (KSEBL) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has estimated that an initial charging network with a capacity of 12.5 MW would be required for electric trucks along the corridor. The initial investment is estimated at ₹19 crore.

The study report was released at the India Clean Transport Summit 2026 in Delhi.

The project will require not just the installation of charging stations but also upgrades to the electricity network to meet the future demand from battery-powered heavy vehicles, according to a KSEB release.

The study is the first of its kind for an Indian freight corridor to assess the number and type of chargers required and determine where to install them.

Researchers analysed FASTag data from four toll plazas on NH 66, national-level truck deployment data, GPS information from 13,355 trucks and 3,39,692 parking records to map freight movement and stopping patterns along the corridor.

Charging demand to rise 26-fold
The immediate charging requirement is estimated at 12.5 MW. By 2050, the corridor could require 1,939 chargers with a combined capacity of 204.5 MW, involving an estimated investment of ₹338 crore.

Daily electricity demand for charging is projected to increase from 32 MWh in 2030 to 833 MWh in 2050, a 26-fold rise.

Despite this increase, the additional demand is expected to account for less than 0.2% of Kerala’s projected annual electricity consumption.

Kochi, Kozhikode and Kollam are expected to emerge as the major charging hubs. The Thiruvangad-Kumbalam section alone could require 76.4 MW of charging capacity by 2050.

Funding options
The financial burden of developing the charging network is expected to be covered through existing central and state allocations.

The project could draw on the ₹2,000 crore earmarked by the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries for public charging infrastructure under the PM E-DRIVE scheme. The ₹63.12 crore already sanctioned for establishing a charging network in Kerala could also be utilised for the project.

Speaking at the release of the report, KSEB Director (Generation & REES) Rajan M P said the project could demonstrate how freight transport can be electrified while ensuring that the power grid is prepared for the transition.

“By building India’s first electric truck corridor on NH 66, a state power utility is demonstrating how the electrification of freight transport can be made practical and grid-ready,” he said.

Rajan said KSEB would strengthen its distribution systems in line with demand as battery-powered electric trucks become more common along the corridor.

The study also highlighted the need for advance planning, as charging infrastructure can take years to plan and build.

Harsimran Kaur, a researcher at ICCT, said Kerala could not wait for electric trucks to become widespread before developing the necessary infrastructure.

“Since it takes years to plan and build charging infrastructure, it would be too late if Kerala waited until electric trucks became widespread,” she said.

The corridor-based study could help guide infrastructure planning for the transition, she added.

The proposed corridor could ultimately serve as a model for how a state can prepare its electricity system in advance for the gradual shift of India’s freight sector from diesel to electric power, KSEB said.