A Niti Aayog report recently said that India's trucking market is expected to grow over four times by 2050. This came as no surprise with a recent truck launch in Pune – not a regular truck launch, mind you, but a liquefied natural gas (LNG) one at that. The truck was launched by Blue Energy Motors last week at its plant in Chakan, Pune. The truck comes with a major focus on developing LNG as an alternative fuel. Its market entry is starting with the introduction of the 5528 4x2 truck as the first model. The truck was inaugurated earlier this month by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India.

Moreover, Blue Energy Motors has collaborated with FPT Industrial – a brand of Iveco Group dedicated to the design, production and sale of powertrains for on-road and off-road vehicles, as well as marine and power generation applications – for this truck. For example, the 5528 truck uses FPT Industrial’s multipoint stoichiometric combustion engine to ensure better fuel consumption and lower noise than diesel engines.

The truck was launched by Anirudh Bhuwalka, CEO, Blue Energy Motors. Sylvain Blaise, President of Iveco Group’s Powertrain Business Unit, and Prakhar Saxena, Chief Marketing Officer at Blue Energy Motors, were also present at the launch.

Sharing his thoughts, Bhuwalka said, “As individuals, it is our responsibility to do something about climate change. In my mind, there is an immediate need for decarbonisation. We have several alternatives for decarbonisation, like electric vehicles (EVs). However, EVs have some major issues, like range and cost. LNG solves all the major problems of technology that we talk about. It’s cheaper and cleaner. When the Honourable Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari, was here, he said that LNG is the fuel of the future.”

Furthermore, throwing some light on the Blue Energy and FPT Industrial partnership, Bhuwalka cited, “Both the companies are committed to an active and swift decarbonisation path in the commercial transport segment and share the same strong belief that LNG trucks are a sustainable option for the market.”

Blaise said, “We are thrilled that FPT Industrial has joined Blue Energy Motors to begin this exciting journey towards advancing Indian commercial transport. India is one of the largest vehicle markets in the world and our cutting-edge technology and natural gas engines are key enablers of the ecological transformation and generating value for the transport operators.”
 

The 5528 4x2 truck is built at the Blue Energy facility. Giving more insights on this latest truck, Saxena informed, “The LNG truck is built with world-class aggregates. With a 990-litre truck tank onboard, one can get a range of 1,400 kilometres on a single fill. Plus, it comes with a one-of-its-kind service support, from an assured quality of repair and services to fully experienced and trained technicians.”

Saxena further added, “Due to connected trucks with artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities, there is a 75 percent reduction in breakdown events, 30 percent improvement in driver behaviour, 30 percent increase in asset availability and 10 percent reduction in maintenance cost.”

Blue Energy Motors has installed a capacity to produce 10,000 trucks/annum, which can be augmented further as the ecosystem matures and the demand ramps up. 

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Propel Industries Private Limited showcased a large portfolio of construction equipment at Excon 2025 that included four new electric tipper models. The company aso unveiled an all-new connectivity platform and a comprehensive after-sales uptime solution. 
The four new electric tippers include the 90CED (claimed to be India's first ultra-fast charging 90 tonne electric dumper with ADAS Level 1 safety), 70CED (claimed to be India's first 8x4 mining e-tipper with 25 cu m rock body), 560HEV-X (claimed to be Indias first 8x4 construction tipper with 25 cu m box body), 470MEV Gen-2 (caimed to be India's first 6x4 tipper with 20 cu m rock body) in particular. 
The Pulse.ev connectivity platform as a new digital ecosystem built in-house specifically for electric mining and hauling operations includes features such as real-time vehicle health and diagnostics; energy consumption insights; predictive maintenance analytics and fleet optimization suite for multi-shift operations.
"The announcements reinforce Propels commitment to innovation, high-productivity for customers, zero-emission, and future-ready heavy-duty mobility. Since start of EV truck sale in 2023, the brand has expanded its presence across coal, overburden, limestone, iron-ore, stone quarry, marble & granites, and solid waste management segments. Propel trucks have cumulatively covered over 5 lakh operating hours and the first set of 8 trucks have clocked 12,500 hours in 2 years, which is equivalent to 20 hrs per day. This proves the reliability and uptime of the propel electric trucks," said Siddarth Kirtane, President – EV Sales, Marketing and Service, Propel Industries. 

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JCB India launched its largest ever excavator at 52 tonness in India. It did so at the Excon 2025 exhibition in Bengaluru. The excavator, showcased along with over 10 new products, will cater to domestic as well as export markets.  Of the over 10 machines the company showed at the show, there included backhoe loaders with enhanced features in line with the customer-first strategy. JCB India is giving much attention to lower cost of ownership, higher fuel efficiency, improved machine uptime, enhanced safety and ergonomics while designing its new equipment.    With sustainability the factor, the company showcased the hydrogen engine powered backhoe loader that it unveiled in 2023. It announced the expansion of its hydrogen powered construction equipment portfolio at Excon 2025 with a hydrogen-powered genset.  "Excon is a forum that brings together customers, policymakers, contractors, financiers, suppliers, and technology leaders, creating an ecosystem for strategic collaboration and long-term business growth. JCB exports to more than 135 countries from India and this year we also have customers from South Asia, Africa Region and South-East Asia visiting us. Excon allows us to understand evolving market needs and demonstrate how our latest solutions align with both global and India’s infrastructure demands," said Deepak Shetty, CEO and MD, JCB India. 

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JK Tyre & Industries Ltd launched four new Off-the-Road (OTR) tyres at Excon 2025 in Bengluru. Unveiled by Dr R Mukhopadhyay, Director (R&D), JK Tyre, the four new OTR tyres further expand the company's portfolio in construction and mining equipment. 
The Sky Grip tyre for example is engineered specifically for Aerial Work Platforms (AWPs) and Boom Lifts used across construction, infrastructure maintenance, warehousing and industrial operations. The 355/55D625 Sky Grip tyre is designed to offer enhanced stability, superior traction and consistent performance at elevated working heights and is compatible with articulated and telescopic boom lifts, telehandlers and even rough terrain aerial platform. 
The three other OTR tyres are designed for critical industrial and mining applications. The 14.00-25 GTL Plus, for example, is a backhoe loader tyre that offers strong stability, durability and dependable performance during frequent loading and excavation operations. The 23.5-25 GTL Plus variant, on the other hand, supports wheel loaders with improved traction and endurance on demanding surfaces. F
or underground mining requirements, the 14.00-20 VEM AS-UG OTR tyre features a reinforced casing and specialised compound designed to withstand abrasive environments and the rigorous duty cycles of shuttle cars.
“India is witnessing a transformative phase in infrastructure development, and JK Tyre remains committed to support this journey. With the launch of our new OTR range at EXCON, we are strengthening our support for equipment that powers critical infrastructure, enabling greater productivity, durability and operational safety across the country’s construction, mining and industrial projects," averred Srinivasu Allaphan, Director-Sales & Marketing, JK Tyre & Industries. 

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Mahindra’s Construction Equipment business (MCE) launched the Compax mini compactor at EXcon 2025 in Bengluru. The mini compactor, aimed at the road construction industry, packs cutting edge techbology to deliver best-in-cass fuel efficiency and reliability. It is built robust and furthers the standards in the category to ensure better returns to the operators. 

“Mahindra commercial vehicles and construction equipment machines are known for their cutting-edge technology, best-in-class fuel efficiency, robust built and reliability that helps deliver substantially higher earnings and profitability for our customers. The new Mahindra COMPAX reflects the same Mahindra DNA and is poised to deliver higher profits and prosperity to our customers. Our deep understanding of the challenges of the Indian infrastructure ecosystem and strong capabilities of indigenous manufacturing makes our machines, including the new mini compactor, an ideal choice for demanding compaction tasks,” said Dr Venkat Srinivas, Business Head – Mahindra Truck, Bus and Construction Equipment, and Executive Director & CEO, SML Mahindra Ltd. 

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