Montra Electric Unveils 55-Ton EV Prime Mover, Launches India's First All-Women Battery-Swap Plant
Montra Electric has unveiled the Rhino 5538 EV 4×2 TT, a 55-ton electric prime mover, priced at ₹1.15 crore. It comes with a ten-year/900,000 km AMC contract and a 95 per cent uptime guarantee. The truck offers a range of nearly 198 km and has a six-speed AMT transmission.
The Rhino 5538 EV is powered by a 282 kWh LFP battery, delivering 380 HP and 2,000 Nm of torque. It joins a growing trend of electrifying long-haul segments, which could cut particulate and nitrous-oxide pollution by 40 per cent by 2050 and avoid 838 billion litres of diesel consumption.
Montra Electric has also inaugurated India's first all-women-monitored automated battery-swap plant. The company's sub-six-minute battery exchanges enable over 160 swaps per day, addressing charging-time and total-cost-of-ownership hurdles. Operators can choose between a fixed-battery pack or a rapid battery-swap option. This infrastructure, along with the all-women-monitored plant, distinguishes Montra Electric in the competitive landscape.
In China, Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor has presented the first batch of 80 all-electric heavy-duty trucks, equipped with high-capacity CATL batteries. These trucks support 400 kWh charging in 15 minutes via Huawei Superchargers and offer a range of over 300 km under standard load, targeting bulk transport and cross-regional distribution.
The launch of the Rhino 5538 EV and the inauguration of the all-women-monitored battery-swap plant demonstrate Montra Electric's commitment to sustainable and inclusive transportation. These developments, along with similar initiatives in China, signal a promising future for electric heavy-duty trucks.
