Montra Electric, the clean mobility brand of the Murugappa Group, has flagged off the first batch of its Rhino 5538 EV heavy-duty electric trucks from its manufacturing facility in Manesar, marking the beginning of a phased large-scale commercial deployment across key industrial sectors in India. The rollout signals a significant shift in India’s heavy commercial vehicle market, from limited pilot programmes to full-scale electrification of freight operations.
The Rhino 5538 EV has been engineered for demanding freight applications across cement, steel, infrastructure, construction materials, mining, and other heavy-duty sectors. It combines an advanced electric powertrain, intelligent vehicle engineering, and connected telematics to deliver high performance, exceptional reliability, and a lower total cost of ownership — qualities that fleet operators running high-utilisation, long-haul operations demand. The first phase of deliveries has now commenced, with the remaining vehicles from the current order pipeline scheduled for deployment over the coming months.
Mr. Jalaj Gupta, Managing Director of Montra Electric, said India’s heavy freight ecosystem has reached an important inflection point, with customers now making electric trucks a part of their mainstream logistics operations rather than evaluating them through limited pilots. He added that this shift is driving commercial-scale production at the Manesar facility, and that Montra Electric is proud to be supporting leading enterprises with products that combine performance, reliability, and sustainability.
Mr. Navneet Sethi, CEO of eMHCV at Montra Electric, said the conversation around electric trucking has fundamentally changed, with fleet operators now asking how quickly they can scale rather than whether the technology works. He noted that the Rhino has been engineered precisely for the most demanding freight applications, delivering a compelling combination of productivity, efficiency, and lower total cost of ownership, and that with manufacturing now ramped up, Montra Electric is well positioned to support growing demand from customers across India’s industrial sectors.