JSW Group has officially launched AMPSTAR, the electric commercial vehicle brand of JSW Greentech, with an initial investment of ₹2,500 crore in the first phase of operations. The company launched a 55-tonne electric tractor-trailer and electric bus in Mumbai on Tuesday, marking its formal entry into India's electric commercial vehicle market. The first plant, spread over 90 acres at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra, will have an annual capacity of 15,000 vehicles - 10,000 electric buses and 5,000 electric trucks. The company will start its truck portfolio with a 55-tonne tractor-trailer and subsequently add tippers, fixed-body trucks and dumpers, with vehicles using both fixed and swappable battery configurations tailored to individual applications.
JSW has set an ambitious target of selling one lakh units by 2030 as it enters the crowded commercial vehicles business with electric trucks. While the plant, which will be operational soon, will have a capacity to produce around 15,000 electric buses and trucks annually, this year, it is expecting to notch up sales of around 3,000 electric trucks in a market that saw the industry selling 800 units last year. Some part of the demand may come from the JSW group itself, which uses around 17,000 trucks carrying raw materials and finished products for businesses including steel, cement and ports. Sajjan Jindal, Chairman, JSW Group, acknowledged the challenges ahead, stating "There will be challenges. Once we jump into the ocean, we will try to swim," while emphasizing the focus on creating indigenous capabilities.
JSW enters the truck market with an unusual advantage for a new vehicle manufacturer - it is itself a substantial user of road freight. According to Business Standard, around 17,000 trucks operate across the JSW ecosystem, carrying raw materials and finished products for businesses including steel, cement and ports. Sumit Mittal, CEO of JSW Greentech, estimates that 40-50% of this fleet could potentially be electrified relatively quickly, particularly on closed-loop routes where trucks repeatedly travel between fixed points and charging infrastructure can be planned around their operations. The economics favor electric trucks significantly - while conventional 55-tonne tractor-trailers typically cost around ₹40-45 lakh, electric models in the segment are priced at roughly ₹95 lakh to ₹1.3 crore. A conventional heavy truck consuming 40,000 litres of diesel annually at ₹100 per litre translates into ₹40 lakh annually or ₹4 crore over 10 years.
AMPSTAR has been developed as a comprehensive commercial mobility offering covering the complete customer journey. The brand will provide charging infrastructure, operating solutions, financing options and after-sales support alongside vehicles. Customers will be able to choose power configurations ranging from 150 kW to 500 kW, with multiple ownership and operating models including outright purchase, leasing and Battery as a Service (BaaS). The company has developed the base logic, software and algorithms for the entire electric drivetrain, allowing customization according to customer requirements. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar plant will manufacture truck cabins, build electric-bus bodies and assemble battery packs, with battery cells initially imported. The vehicles have been engineered for Indian road and climatic conditions, with JSW's broader package including financing, charging infrastructure, maintenance and battery-as-a-service.
JSW is retaining control of higher-value technology rather than assembling an electric drivetrain entirely around externally supplied systems. 88 of the company's first 100 hires were in research and development, reflecting an attempt to build engineering capability internally. Localisation is expected to reach around 50% within six months, even though battery cells will initially be imported. The company has developed the base logic, software and algorithms for the electric drivetrain in-house, allowing power and battery configurations to be adapted to different operating requirements. Jindal acknowledged that cells are an area of imports from China and noted that R&D is a focus area, stating "I am being very practical: let's first catch up with what is happening in China and then we will try for some breakthrough." He added that several Indian groups are working on cell technology, with expectations of reverse engineering over the next five to seven years.
Speaking at the launch, Sajjan Jindal, Chairman, JSW Group, said the company's decision to enter electric commercial mobility was driven by the objective of reducing dependence on fuel sourced from outside India. "When we decided to enter electric commercial mobility, I saw it as an act of nation-building - moving India's people and goods on power generated within India, rather than fuel sourced from outside. We cannot control global oil prices. But we can control how much we depend on them." Jindal described AMPSTAR as a catalyst for changing the way India moves, stating "we want AMPSTAR to be a catalyst for changing the way India moves. That's no longer just a business question. It's a question of who we want to be as a country." The brand's visual identity features the 'Rising Star' with an angular 'A' whose upward thrust represents the transition from momentum to progress, with the brand line 'All In, All Electric' summing up AMPSTAR's ambition. The commercial vehicle entry adds to JSW's broader automotive strategy, with the group also preparing to introduce passenger vehicles under JSW's own brand before the end of 2026.
