Shree Cement Targets 100 Electric Commercial Vehicles This Year: Mining EVs and BESS Pilots Also in the Works

Shree Cement Limited plans to commission around 100 electric commercial vehicles during the current year as part of a broader push to clean up its logistics network. The company is also exploring electric dumpers and dozers for mining operations and has started small-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) pilots, alongside a renewable energy share that climbed to 66% of its total energy mix in the most recent quarter. Managing Director Neeraj Akhoury tied the move to India's broader clean mobility and Viksit Bharat push, framing electrification as a cost and sustainability lever across the company's supply chain rather than a one-off announcement.

What Shree Cement Announced

Shree Cement, one of India's largest cement producers, says it is targeting the commissioning of around 100 electric commercial vehicles this year to build a cleaner logistics network. The company did not specify whether "this year" refers to the current calendar year or FY27, and the release does not name a vehicle supplier, truck model, or the routes these EVs will run on, details that companies like UltraTech and Dalmia have disclosed in their own recent electric truck announcements (more on that below).

Beyond road transport, Shree Cement said it is exploring the use of electric dumpers and dozers in its mining operations. This is described as an early-stage exploration rather than a confirmed order or deployment timeline, so treat it as a stated intent for now rather than a locked-in plan.

Renewable Energy and the BESS Pilot

The release ties the EV push to Shree Cement's wider energy transition. The company said the share of renewable energy in its total energy mix rose from 61% to 66% during the last quarter, though the release doesn't specify which quarter this comparison covers.

Shree Cement has also initiated small-scale deployment of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) at select locations, described explicitly as an evaluation exercise to assess wider application rather than a full commercial rollout.

What Neeraj Akhoury Said

Commenting on the announcement, Neeraj Akhoury, Managing Director of Shree Cement, said sustainability is becoming central to how the company designs and runs its operations:

"With renewable energy now accounting for 66% of our energy mix this quarter, we are extending this transition beyond manufacturing into logistics, mining and energy storage... Our planned commissioning of around 100 electric commercial vehicles, alongside exploring electrification in mining and battery energy storage, reflects this commitment."

The Economics: Why Electric Trucks Are Gaining Ground in Cement Logistics

Shree Cement says the fuel cost of electric commercial vehicles can run at around one-tenth of comparable diesel-powered vehicles. This is a company-stated figure rather than an independently verified one, but it lines up directionally with what other fleet operators have reported for heavy-duty EV trucks running fixed, high-mileage routes, exactly the kind of mine-to-plant and inter-plant hauls cement companies operate.

That cost gap is a big part of why commercial EV adoption has been accelerating even though upfront purchase prices for electric trucks remain well above diesel equivalents. Recent regulatory changes have also chipped away at that upfront cost disadvantage by extending how long clean-fuel commercial vehicles can stay in service under the national permit system.

Also Read: MoRTH Proposes 5-Year Operational Age Extension for EVs, Hydrogen, and CNG Commercial Vehicles

The Policy Backdrop Behind the Timing

Shree Cement's announcement lands at a point where central policy is actively favouring commercial EV adoption even as support for electric two-wheelers has been scaled back. Electric trucks, buses, and ambulances remain covered under the PM E-DRIVE scheme through March 2028, with a dedicated allocation for e-trucks in the N2 and N3 weight categories.

Must Visit: PM E-DRIVE Scheme Extended to March 2028: Revised Outlay & Guidelines

Other Indian Cement Majors Going Electric

Shree Cement isn't the first major cement producer to commit to electric logistics. Other players have moved earlier and, in some cases, disclosed far more detail:

Shree Cement's target is meaningful for the company but modest next to UltraTech's fleet expansion, and unlike UltraTech or Dalmia, this release doesn't name the truck manufacturer or logistics partner involved.

Logistics and Resource Efficiency Numbers From the Release

A few other operational figures from the announcement, all as reported by the company:

• Average lead distance (the average distance cement is transported) reduced from 459 km to 445 km
• Rail transport accounted for approximately 9% of volumes
• Shree Cement is pursuing railway siding projects under the Gati Shakti framework to expand rail-based freight movement
• The company maintains Zero Liquid Discharge across its manufacturing operations, with wastewater treated and reused on-site
• Its plants use the dry process of cement manufacturing, which needs significantly less water than the older wet process

The release doesn't specify the comparison period for the lead distance and rail-share figures (quarter-on-quarter or year-on-year), so treat them as point-in-time company disclosures.

What This Means

For fleet operators and logistics partners, Shree Cement's entry adds one more large industrial buyer to a commercial EV market that's already seeing real demand from the cement sector specifically. For that demand to convert into actual vehicle orders, the next things worth watching are whether Shree Cement names a truck supplier, confirms specific routes, and sets a firmer delivery timeline, the kind of detail UltraTech and Dalmia have already put on record.

For anyone tracking India's industrial decarbonisation more broadly, the more interesting signal here may be the mining EV exploration and the BESS pilot, since heavy-duty mining equipment electrification is still rare in Indian cement operations and largely unproven at scale.