Landmark Green Drayage Initiative Deploys 55-Tonne Heavy-Duty Electric Prime Movers Across Western Industrial Belt, Connecting Inland Dry Port Directly to Coastal Ocean Terminals to Eliminate Landside Diesel Emissions

TUMB / VAPI — In a major commercial leap toward decarbonizing container drayage and overland freight transit across western India’s manufacturing corridors, Adani Logistics Limited (ALL), the multimodal logistics subsidiary of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ), in direct operational partnership with French ocean liner major CMA CGM, has officially flagged off India’s largest commercial heavy-duty battery-electric truck fleet at Inland Container Depot (ICD) Tumb.

The commercial deployment integrates a frontline fleet of purpose-built, 55-tonne gross combination weight (GCW) heavy-duty battery-electric prime movers into active container evacuation workflows. Stationed at ICD Tumb—one of the largest inland dry port facilities in South Asia, strategically situated on the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra—the electric tractors are dedicated to handling short-haul and middle-mile container drayage between regional export-oriented manufacturing plants, industrial clusters across Vapi, Umbergaon, Daman, and Silvassa, and primary maritime gateway connections.

Historically, heavy container drayage between manufacturing estates, inland container freight stations, and railway siding aprons has relied almost exclusively on multi-axle diesel trailers. High-frequency stop-and-go running, severe idling outside depot gates, and continuous highway shuttle runs across congested industrial bypasses have contributed heavily to localized particulate pollution and elevated corporate Scope 3 freight footprints.

The joint deployment between Adani Logistics and CMA CGM systematically tackles landside emissions through a synchronized green logistics architecture:

  • Heavy-Torque Electric Powertrains: Engineered specifically for heavy container haulage, the commercial battery-electric tractors haul fully laden 20-foot and 40-foot ISO marine containers—including high-cube dry vans and specialized refrigerated boxes—without generating tailpipe exhaust or engine acoustic noise.

  • Dedicated Captive Fast-Charging Infrastructure: To maintain uninterrupted round-the-clock commercial duty cycles, Adani Logistics has commissioned captive high-output DC fast-charging bays directly within the ICD Tumb complex. Operating on dynamic charging protocols, the charging hubs replenish battery packs during regular terminal shift changeovers, driver mandatory breaks, and container crane handling sequences, preventing vehicle downtime.

  • Integrated Route Telematics and ULIP Synchronization: Every vehicle in the electric fleet is outfitted with smart IoT telematics that continuously monitor battery state-of-charge (SOC), motor temperature, dynamic regenerative braking efficiency, and vehicle positioning. The data stream links directly with the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) and terminal operating systems, enabling automated gate access and predictive drayage dispatching.

  • Verified Scope 3 Insetting for Global Shippers: Under CMA CGM’s low-carbon shipping solutions, multinational exporters utilizing the electric drayage service receive certified third-party digital carbon accounting documentation. This enables textile, pharmaceutical, plastics, and precision engineering exporters across the Vapi-Valsad industrial belt to substantiate verifiable greenhouse gas reductions across both road and sea transit legs.

Addressing port administrators, trade delegations, and supply chain executives during the flag-off ceremony at ICD Tumb, senior leadership from Adani Logistics emphasized that sustainable freight mobility must move beyond experimental pilot runs into scaled industrial applications. Shifting dense container drayage loops from diesel tractors to commercial battery-electric prime movers reduces localized carbon dioxide emissions by over 60% per container trip while shielding supply chain operators from volatile retail diesel pricing.

CMA CGM operational directors noted that the initiative directly aligns with the shipping group’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon operations across all shipping and logistics operations by 2050. Integrating zero-emission landside drayage with the carrier’s expanding roster of clean-fuel and LNG-powered ocean vessels operating on western Indian services creates an unbroken, lower-emission transport corridor from factory gates in Gujarat directly to overseas destination hubs.

Following the flag-off ceremony, the initial convoy of fully laden export containers departed ICD Tumb under battery-electric power, with terminal authorities confirming that additional vehicle batches will be inducted over the coming quarters to scale the green drayage program across adjacent multimodal hubs.