Ashok Leyland and IIT Madras take electric truck awareness drive to 40 cities
Ashok Leyland has launched a 40-city demonstration drive with IIT Madras' CoEZET to put battery electric trucks in front of the fleet owners, financiers and policymakers who will decide whether to adopt them.
- 40
- September 2026 to February 2027
- 100% by Viksit Bharat 2047
- Above 12T GVW
What Happened
Ashok Leyland, the Indian flagship of the Hinduja Group, commenced its nationwide 'GET ZET - Electric Truck Awareness to Acceptance' initiative from Chennai on 29 September 2026, in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Zero Emission Trucking (CoEZET) at IIT Madras. The initiative will run across 40 cities between September 2026 and February 2027 to build awareness, foster confidence and accelerate adoption of zero-emission freight transportation solutions. It covers key logistics hubs and industrial corridors across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. The events bring together fleet owners, logistics operators, financiers, load providers, infrastructure partners, policymakers and industry experts for interactive awareness and demonstration sessions on the opportunities, challenges and evolving ecosystem needed for the transition.
40cities
Nationwide tour running from September 2026 to February 2027, launched from Chennai.
CoEZET at IIT Madras begins working towards the adoption of zero-emission trucks.
The 'GET ZET - Electric Truck Awareness to Acceptance' initiative commences from Chennai and the 40-city drive begins.
The 40-city demonstration drive is scheduled to end.
CoEZET's stated vision of 100% zero-emission truck penetration under Viksit Bharat 2047.
- Ashok Leyland's latest electric mobility solutions
- First-hand insights into electric commercial vehicles
- The BOSS Electric truck, showcased together with a charger setup
- The complete electric commercial vehicle ecosystem
- Conversations on the evolving zero-emission transportation landscape
CoEZET, an initiative by IIT Madras, has been working towards the adoption of zero-emission trucks since 2022 and states a vision of achieving 100% ZET penetration by Viksit Bharat 2047. Its work spans policy, technology, skilling and outreach, and its area of expertise is accelerating the use of medium and heavy-duty zero-emission trucks above 12 tonnes GVW. The current outreach and acceptance initiative builds on earlier awareness activities across hundreds of locations, aiming to help stakeholders experience, evaluate and build confidence in battery electric trucks.
“The transition to zero-emission mobility will be defined not just by the maturity of technology, but by the confidence of the users to adopt it at scale. At Ashok Leyland, we believe the best way to build that confidence is by taking electric trucking closer to the people who will use and enable it. Through 'GET ZET - Electric Truck Awareness to Acceptance', in collaboration with Centre of Excellence for Zero Emission Trucking (CoEZET), IIT Madras, we are bringing the electric truck technology to 40 cities, creating opportunities for customers and stakeholders to experience its real-world potential first-hand. This is a step towards making electric mobility more accessible, practical and ready for the future of India's freight ecosystem.”
“CoEZET, IIT Madras has been working towards the adoption of zero-emission trucks since 2022, with a vision of achieving 100% ZET penetration by Viksit Bharat 2047. Our work spans policy, technology, skilling and outreach. The current Outreach Acceptance Initiative builds on our earlier awareness activities across hundreds of locations and focuses on enabling stakeholders to experience, evaluate and build confidence in battery electric trucks, as we move towards the next phase of adoption. Through in-depth interactions and hands-on trial rides, we aim to demonstrate the quieter, smoother and more comfortable experience of electric trucks, while helping address driver concerns and build greater acceptance among the trucking community. We are glad to collaborate with industry partners such as Ashok Leyland in this effort and look forward to engaging with a wider range of stakeholders to strengthen acceptance and enable the wider adoption of zero-emission trucks in India.”
Previously from Ashok Leyland
Ashok Leyland's wider electrification push has been in the news shortly before this drive: on 21 September 2026, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said the company is evaluating an EV battery project in Maharashtra's Bhandara district, an investment he put at Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore should it go ahead. According to Gadkari's account, the project is still being evaluated.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ashok Leyland's official releases.
Why this matters
Zero-emission freight depends on the operators who buy and run trucks, not just on technology, so the drive targets fleet owners, logistics operators, load providers, financiers, policymakers and drivers directly. For India's trucking community, the events offer hands-on trial rides and a chance to raise concerns, which the source frames as central to building confidence and scaling up adoption.
Terms in This Story
- Zero Emission Trucking (ZET)
- Trucking that produces no tailpipe emissions, typically using battery electric or other zero-emission drivetrains.
- CoEZET
- The Centre of Excellence for Zero Emission Trucking, an initiative by IIT Madras focused on accelerating the adoption of zero-emission trucks.
- GVW
- Gross vehicle weight, the total weight of a vehicle plus its load, used to classify trucks into weight categories.
- Viksit Bharat 2047
- A long-term Indian development vision pegged to the year 2047, cited in the source as the horizon for the 100% zero-emission trucking target.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.