The Keralam stretch of NH-66 is being developed as the country’s first e-truck corridor

A new study says Keralam will have to develop a 12.5 MW electric vehicle charging network as part of its efforts to transform the stretch of National Highway-66 passing through the state as the country’s first e-truck corridor.

An investment of ₹19 crore will be required to achieve this target, according to a study conducted by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) in collaboration with the International Council for Clean Transportation (ICCT). The study report was released at India’s Clean Transport Summit 2026 held in New Delhi.

According to KSEB, the 622 km stretch of NH-66 from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod has been developed as India’s first e-truck corridor under the PM Electric Drive revolution in innovative vehicle enhancement (PM E-Drive). According to KSEB, the amount of ₹ 63.12 crore sanctioned to the state so far for development of electric vehicle charging network can also be used for this purpose.

Billed as the first of its kind for e-trucks, the study was based on FASTag data from four toll gates on NH-66, truck deployment across the country, GPS data from 13,355 trucks and 3,39,692 parking details.

The study estimates that demand in the e-truck sector will grow after 2030. By 2050, the NH-66 corridor is estimated to require 1,939 chargers with a combined capacity of 204.5 MW and an investment of ₹338 crore. By 2050, grid energy demand for this corridor will rise from 32 megawatt hours (MWh) to 833 MWh. This means it will still be below 0.2% of Keralam’s annual projected power demand.

Inaugurating the report, KSEB Director (Generation and Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation) Rajan M. said that by building the first e-truck corridor, KSEB is demonstrating the practicalities of electrifying freight transport and preparing the network for it.

Published – 03 Sep 2026 07:30 IST