JSW Greentech has launched Ampstar, its electric commercial vehicle brand, with a first-phase investment of Rs. 25 bn. The initiative marks JSW Group’s entry into India’s electric truck and bus market, with manufacturing planned at a 90-acre greenfield plant in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra.

The facility will have annual capacity for 15,000 vehicles, comprising 10,000 electric buses and 5,000 electric trucks. The company has showcased a 55-tonne electric tractor-trailer and a 12-metre electric bus, with commercial production expected to begin within 30 days after final approvals. It is targeting deliveries of around 2,000 vehicles over the next six months, with buses and trucks expected to account for roughly equal volumes.

Ampstar’s initial truck range will focus on 55-tonne tractor-trailers for steel, cement, mining, ports and infrastructure applications. The vehicles will be available with fixed and swappable battery systems, including 6×4 and 4×2 configurations. Battery arrangements will be tailored to customers’ operating requirements.

The company is using lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, battery technology and multiple global suppliers. Apart from batteries and magnets, most components, including motors, will be localised. The Maharashtra plant will manufacture truck cabins, build electric-bus bodies and assemble battery packs, while cells will initially be imported.

JSW’s steel, cement and port businesses operate around 17,000 trucks, of which about 10,000 could potentially be replaced with electric vehicles. Ampstar will initially use a direct business-to-business model, offering outright purchase, cost-per-kilometre and wet-lease arrangements, along with financing, charging, maintenance and battery-as-a-service. The company also plans to enter the passenger vehicle market with its own brand around December.