NEW DELHI: Even as many carmakers are reluctant to launch electric vehicles (EVs) in India, homegrown auto-major Tata Motors has said that it is planning to bring as many as 10 new battery-driven electric vehicles (BEV) in the next four years.
“In India, EV penetration in our portfolio has now doubled to 2 per cent this year and we expect penetration to increase exponentially in the coming years. By 2025, Tata Motors will have 10 new BEV vehicles and as a Group, we will invest proactively to set up charging infrastructure across the country,” said N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Motors, to the shareholders in the company’s 76th Annual Report.
At present, Tata Motors is the largest EV player in the country, with two electric four-wheelers (e4W) and commanding a market share of 71 per cent.
Tata’s Nexon EV is India’s best-selling e4W with sales of more than 4,000 units since its launch in January 2020.
While the company did not disclose the names of its upcoming EVs, it is expected that Tata will launch the electric variant of its popular hatchback Altaroz in the next few months.
Beside scaling up its EV portfolio, Chandrasekaran also said that the Tata Group is actively exploring partnerships in cell and battery manufacturing in India and Europe to secure battery supply.
Tata’s aggressive expansion in the EV sector comes at a time when the Center and state governments are incentivising manufacturers who develop and sell EV.
To note, Tata Motors Group had previously announced a complete shift from the gasoline engine for its British subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover.
The luxury car brand is targeting 100 per cent zero carbon emissions from its portfolio by 2036.
Meanwhile, other automakers, except for Mahindra & Mahindra, continue to have a conservative approach when it comes to EVs.
Hyundai, for example, will launch EVs in the mass volume segment over the next three years while Maruti Suzuki has announced no EV plans as such.