A first-of-its-kind collaboration
With support from LeadIT, Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles and Volvo Group have pledged to work together on a more sustainable heavy-duty transport eco-system in India. In a first-of-its-kind collaboration for the Leadership Group, LeadIT will facilitate work between the two companies. The aim is to foster dialogues and identify potential pathways to address the challenges of transitioning to a low-carbon transport infrastructure. This infrastructure could encompass both green hydrogen and fossil-free electricity. The collaboration may in the future include:
- joint research and innovation projects for ecosystem development/innovation projects
- collaborative pilots and demonstrations to aid infrastructure development
- Participation in policy or regulatory consultations
- Shared events, roundtables, and publications.
- mutual support for capacity building and training.
Partnership as a critical lever for change
A tough decarbonization challenge
Research from LeadIT/SEI has demonstrated that commercial road transport accounts for a small share of the global vehicle stock, but a disproportionately large portion (37%) of road-transport CO2 emissions. It remains one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize as emissions are high, and the pathways are complex. Per Andersson, the Head of the LeadIT Secretariat, welcomed this new joint initiative to address an urgent decarbonization priority.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles, Volvo Group and LeadIT (SEI) was announced at an event hosted by the Ambassador of Sweden to India, Jan Thesleff, with Sara Modig, State Secretary, Ministry of Climate and Enterprise, Government of Sweden and Ruchika Drall, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India and LeadIT Board Member.
Next steps
Joint working groups have been established and will now begin technical and strategic meetings to advance the collaboration. The goal is to bring together expertise from both companies to develop scalable, actionable knowledge that supports a just and inclusive industrial transition.
