Energy In Motion Limited and Sorigin Green Mobility Private Limited have signed a memorandum of understanding to deploy 500 electric heavy commercial vehicles across India over two years, with the initial rollout focused on the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority ecosystem . The agreement, announced on 3 November 2026, represents one of the largest planned electric truck deployments linked to a major Indian port, and it adds a fleet-operation partnership to EIM's growing electric vehicle infrastructure around JNPA.
The operational model separates vehicle ownership from freight service. Sorigin will finance, deploy, operate, and maintain the vehicles, while customers pay for freight movement without purchasing trucks upfront . This managed-service approach addresses one of the primary barriers to electric truck adoption—the high upfront capital cost—by allowing cargo owners and logistics operators to access electric traction without committing to vehicle ownership. Sorigin's director Gautam Rekhi and co-founder Aarav Tanti said the company already operates EIM tractors at Jawaharlal Nehru Port and Tuticorin Container Terminal, giving it operational experience with the vehicles before the expanded deployment.
EIM's role is to supply the vehicles and the energy infrastructure that supports them. The company will provide Ashwa 55-tonne electric tractors alongside charging infrastructure, battery-swapping facilities, and energy-management services . EIM managing director Narendra Murkumbi said the partnership would combine vehicles and energy infrastructure to address utilisation, turnaround times, and operating costs . The 500-vehicle figure is a deployment target under the MoU, with the initial 18 vehicles at JNPA providing the first implementation milestone .
The charging infrastructure context is significant because it determines whether the vehicles can operate at the utilisation rates that freight operations require. EIM opened its second heavy-duty battery-swapping station at Nhava Sheva Distribution Terminal in September 2026, and at that time it said nearly 150 of its electric trucks were operating within the JNPA ecosystem . The company has outlined plans for an electric vehicle complex incorporating three battery-swapping and charging stations, a service station, a driver training centre, and a heavy-vehicle simulator, intended eventually to support more than 700 heavy trucks across port terminal corridors . These are planned capabilities rather than current deployments, but they indicate the scale of infrastructure that EIM is building around the port.
EIM's manufacturing capacity provides the supply-side foundation for the deployment. On 14 October 2026, the company inaugurated an electric heavy commercial vehicle complex at Ambi village in Talegaon, Pune, describing the ₹500-crore development as the first phase of a ₹1,000-crore investment programme in Maharashtra . The complex combines vehicle assembly, lithium-ion battery-pack assembly, and an independent battery-testing laboratory, with an initial vehicle assembly capacity of 5,000 units annually on a single-shift basis . EIM's technology partnerships include BAIC Foton Motor for heavy electric vehicles, Contemporary Amperex Technology for battery technology, and Shanghai Enneagon Energy Technology for robotic battery-swapping systems .
For India's port logistics sector, the EIM-Sorigin agreement is a signal that electric heavy trucking is moving from pilot projects to commercial-scale service models around major gateways. JNPA is India's largest container port, and the truck movements that connect it to container freight stations, inland container depots, and hinterland markets are a significant source of diesel consumption and emissions. If the 500-vehicle target is achieved, it would represent a meaningful shift in the fuel mix of port-linked road transport, though the two-year timeline and the phased rollout mean that the actual impact will depend on utilisation rates and the reliability of the charging and swapping infrastructure.
Looking ahead, the key milestones are the deployment of the initial 18 vehicles at JNPA, the commissioning of the supporting charging and swapping infrastructure, and the operational data that emerges from the first months of service. The agreement does not disclose pricing, the specific routes the vehicles will serve, or the customers who will use the service . For now, the MoU establishes a framework and a target, and the immediate implementation at JNPA will test whether the managed-service model can deliver the cost and reliability profile that port-linked freight operators require.
Source: Maritime Gateway (3 November 2026)
Tags: EIM · Sorigin Green Mobility · Electric trucks · JNPA · Battery swapping · India port logistics · Green freight
News 9
Rewritten Title: Tamil Nadu Plans 80-Nautical-Mile Coastal Ferry Circuit Linking Chennai, Mamallapuram and Puducherry
Summary: The Tamil Nadu Maritime Board has invited expressions of interest from ferry operators to run passenger services connecting Chennai, Mamallapuram, and Puducherry over an 80-nautical-mile coastal route. The service will start at the cruise passenger terminal at Dr. Ambedkar Dock in Chennai Port and end at Puducherry Port, which has a 150-metre berth suitable for ferries with a draft of up to 2 metres. Separately, TNMB has proposed a multi-operator model for the Nagapattinam–Kankesanthurai ferry route to India, citing sustained demand with over 66,000 passenger movements since its revival.
Description:
The Tamil Nadu Maritime Board has moved to establish a coastal passenger ferry circuit linking Chennai, Mamallapuram, and Puducherry, inviting expressions of interest from operators to run services over an 80-nautical-mile stretch of the state's coastline . The proposal, reported by The Times of India on 2 November 2026, represents an attempt to create a new mode of intercity passenger transport that leverages Tamil Nadu's maritime geography rather than its road and rail networks.
The route's technical parameters are defined in the tender documents. The service will begin at the cruise passenger terminal at Dr. Ambedkar Dock in Chennai Port, a facility capable of accommodating large vessels, and terminate at Puducherry Port, which has a 150-metre berth suitable for passenger ferries with a draft of up to 2 metres . The intermediate stop at Mamallapuram, a UNESCO World Heritage site and major tourist destination, indicates that the service is designed with tourism as a primary market, alongside local passenger movement between the three coastal cities.
The eligibility criteria for operators are structured to ensure that only experienced ferry companies can participate. Interested operators must be registered firms, companies, LLPs, or sole proprietorships in India or abroad, with at least three years of experience operating passenger ferries with a minimum capacity of 50 passengers during the five years up to 31 August 2026 . They must own a high-speed craft or have a lease agreement for at least one year, possess valid licences and registrations, and operate vessels suitable for the prevailing sea conditions with statutory certificates . These requirements reflect the operational demands of coastal ferry services, where sea state, vessel reliability, and safety compliance are non-negotiable.
A parallel initiative addresses the India–Sri Lanka ferry connection. TNMB has proposed introducing a multi-operator model for the Nagapattinam–Kankesanthurai route, allowing multiple operators to run vessels and thereby improving frequency and passenger capacity . The service was revived and launched in October 2023, restoring direct maritime passenger connectivity between India and Sri Lanka after nearly four decades of disruption . Since its revival, the route has recorded more than 66,000 passenger movements—24,598 in 2025 and another 20,977 up to August 2026—figures that TNMB cites as evidence of sustained demand .
The cargo dimension of the India–Sri Lanka route adds commercial substance to the passenger ferry proposal. Between January and June 2026, 10,902 TEUs of cargo were exported and 7,091 TEUs imported between the two countries, indicating two-way trade potential that a passenger-cum-cargo ferry operation could capture . Nagapattinam's existing terminal can handle more than 300 passengers at a time, with a berth depth of 1.8 metres accommodating vessels with a draft of up to 1.5 metres . The infrastructure is already in place; the multi-operator model is designed to use it more intensively.
For Tamil Nadu's coastal economy, the proposed ferry circuit and the expanded India–Sri Lanka service represent an effort to develop maritime passenger transport as a complement to the state's port and freight infrastructure. The Chennai–Mamallapuram–Puducherry route would serve tourists and residents along a corridor that is currently connected primarily by road, while the Nagapattinam–Kankesanthurai service strengthens people-to-people links with Sri Lanka's Northern Province. Both initiatives align with the broader coastal shipping and cruise promotion agenda that the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has been advancing at the national level.
Looking ahead, the success of the ferry circuit will depend on operator response to the expression of interest, the commercial viability of the route at the proposed fare levels, and the reliability of the vessels deployed. The 80-nautical-mile distance is manageable for high-speed craft, but sea conditions in the Bay of Bengal can be challenging during the monsoon months, and the seasonal nature of tourism at Mamallapuram may affect year-round demand. For now, the tender represents a concrete step toward establishing coastal passenger transport as a viable mode in Tamil Nadu, and it signals that the state is looking beyond freight when it assesses the value of its maritime assets.