Mumbai and Delhi to be connected via ‘electric highway’, says Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the government plans to construct an electric highway between Delhi and Mumbai. He was speaking at an event organised by the Hydraulic Trailer Owners Association (HTOA).

Three years ago, Germany launched its first electric highway on a six-mile-long stretch of Autobahn near Frankfurt. It allows hybrid cargo trucks to recharge their batteries while travelling. The proposed project between Delhi and Mumbai will enable motor vehicles to get charged while on the move. Generally,  an overhead network of electricity lines is laid, which helps in powering the on-road vehicles.

“Our plan is to make an electric highway between Delhi and Mumbai. Just like a trolleybus, you can run trolley trucks also”, Gadkari said. The government is said to be in talks with a foreign firm for its construction.

Gadkari also requested heavy vehicle owners to use alternative fuels like ethanol, methanol, and green hydrogen citing their cost-effectiveness. The minister also admitted that heavy vehicle owners face hardships due to corruption in state Regional Transport Offices (RTOs). And thus, we are planning to digitise all services provided by RTOs, he added.

In the last few years, Gadkari has time and again mentioned the construction of electric highways as a “dream project”.

At present, Berlin has the longest electric highway in the world. The highway is spread over a stretch of 109km. India can soon become the home to the world’s largest electric highway if the government’s plan materialises.

The central government has been pushing to adopt green mobility as it aims to achieve its net-zero carbon emission targets.