Staff Writer
Mumbai: Energy In Motion Ltd (EIM) has signed an agreement with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) to set up fast-charging and battery-swapping infrastructure for heavy commercial electric vehicles at select HPCL fuel stations across the country, the company said.
Under the agreement, EIM will roll out swap-and-charge hubs in phases at HPCL retail outlets, beginning with key freight corridors such as Mumbai-Pune, Delhi-Jaipur and Chennai-Bengaluru over the next 18 to 24 months. The network will be expanded further in subsequent phases.
The charging stations will cater to electric commercial vehicles and will be integrated with EIM’s technology platform, enabling real-time station availability, digital payments and remote monitoring.
HPCL, which operates more than 25,000 retail outlets across India, including on major highways and expressways, will provide space, utilities and common facilities at its outlets, while EIM will own and manage the battery inventory, charging and battery-swapping infrastructure.
The collaboration aims to accelerate the deployment of charging infrastructure by leveraging HPCL’s nationwide fuel station network and EIM’s expertise in electric heavy commercial vehicles and battery systems.
Battery swapping, alongside conventional charging, will allow compatible heavy commercial vehicles to replace depleted batteries with fully charged ones in about seven minutes, significantly reducing vehicle downtime and improving fleet utilisation.
EIM said it is developing an ecosystem for electric heavy commercial vehicles, including megawatt-scale charging and battery-swapping stations across India. The company launched its 55-tonne electric tractor, Ashwa, in August 2025 and has already commissioned six heavy-duty battery-swapping stations in Delhi-NCR and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) area, with a combined capacity of 840 battery swaps per day.
The company plans to have 40 heavy commercial vehicle swap-cum-charging stations operational by the end of March 2027.
Commenting on the partnership, EIM Managing Director Narendra Murkumbi said the tie-up with HPCL would enable the company to establish reliable charging and battery-swapping hubs at locations where truck drivers already stop, helping accelerate the adoption of electric freight transport across major logistics corridors.
