Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles and Volvo Group will collaborate as part of their membership of the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT), to work together on a more sustainable heavy-duty transport ecosystem in India, the public-private initiative co-chaired by the governments of India and Sweden said on Friday.

This collaboration aims to foster dialogues and cooperation 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

“We are proud to join hands with the Volvo Group under the LeadIT framework to accelerate the decarbonization of India’s heavy-duty transport infrastructure. Our ambitious target to achieve net-zero emissions across Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles by 2045 reflects our dedication to a greener and more sustainable future,” said SJR Kutty, chief sustainability officer, Tata Motors.

According to Kamal Bali, president and MD, Volvo Group India Private Limited, “Partnership is the new leadership, and by working together to support the evolution of an alternate energy ecosystem, we help the industry & our customers transition to cleaner fuels. As the Volvo Group, we are very happy to walk the talk of partnership with LeadIT, which has fostered a first-of-its-kind co-operation that also facilitates collaborative work between OEMs such as the Volvo Group and Tata Motors, especially around ecosystem development, towards a more sustainable transport ecosystem in India.”

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.

Sweden’s State Secretary, Sara Modig, is on a three-day visit to India to further strengthen the growing partnership between the two countries in advancing sustainability, innovation, and the green transition.