What China can teach India on CV electrification

In early 2024, Shenu Agarwal, the Managing Director and CEO of Ashok Leyland, undertook what seemed like a routine visit to China, a geography that looms large in the global electric vehicle (EV) market.

What Agarwal witnessed on the highways of this sprawling country wasn't merely an expected showcase of electric trucks but a glimpse into a logistical upheaval—one that left a deeper impression than anticipated. The sight of trucks pulling into stations to swap batteries in three minutes rather than stopping for hours to recharge was not just a technological feat but a signal of what may soon ...