Abstract:

India currently lacks a dedicated charging infrastructure roadmap to addresses the planning, sizing, spatial allocation, and grid integration of high-capacity charging at freight hubs and truck terminals—the locations that are likely to become critical nodes in battery electric truck (BET) operations. As truck electrification progresses, these transport nagars, which refer to truck terminals located outside of city limits, are poised to become important nodes for long-duration charging of BETs. In this paper, we assess the charging needs at one of the largest transport nagars in the country, Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar (SGTN). Assessing two scenarios—one in which trucks use 60 kW chargers and another in which they use 120 kW chargers—we found that, depending on the charger power ratings, SGTN would need chargers with a peak installed capacity of 1.8–2.3 MW by 2030, 7.7–10.3 MW by 2035, and 18.4–24.1 MW by 2040. Because trucks are parked for an average of 12 to 24 hours at SGTN, slow chargers are operationally viable. Highpower chargers reduce the time required for a full charge of the BET and thus improve throughput. However, because they compress energy delivery into shorter time windows, they increase instantaneous peak loads. This highlights the need for aligning charger selection with land availability and local grid capacity.