The Tata Group is trying to leverage on the strength it has with multiple group companies involved in diverse activities that could help Tata Motors push its electric vehicles in the market.
The companies being roped in are Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Tata AutoComp, Tata Motors Finance, Tata Consultancy Services, and Croma. This association has been given the apt name ‘Tata UniEVerse’.
As per an Economic Times report, each of these Tata Group companies will have its own unique role to play in the ecosystem. Tata AutoComp Systems, for example, will take the responsibility for manufacturing the lithium ion batteries. The company will initially import the battery cells required to build the batteries, but the chemical will be ultimately manufactured by another Tata company, Tata Chemicals in the country itself. A manufacturing facility, at an investment of around Rs 800 crore is coming up in the state of Gujarat for making the battery cells.
Tata Power is going to take up the job of setting up charging stations for the EVs. The representative of Tata Motors was present at the Nexon EV launch event and confirmed that they will have at least 300 EV charging stations up and working by March 2020. Tata Motors says the number of charging stations will be doubled by the end of the next financial year, March 2021.
Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekharan left no one in doubt on how much the Group is investing on the electric vehicles to reverse its fortunes in the automobile market. The Chairman, with the Chairman Emeritus, Ratan Tata beside him said Tata Motors expects to launch 6 different models of electric vehicles over the next two years.
It started off with Tata Motors launching its first fully indigenously designed and built electric car, the Tata Nexon EV.
Moving ahead, the electronic retail chain Croma has been roped in to help with displaying the car outside its stores. The profile of customers dropping in on the Croma stores perfectly fits in with the targeted customers for the electric cars.
Tatas are also positioning the electric vehicles as their way of reducing the pollution in the Indian cities.
Now, Tata Motors Finance will enter the fray and offer the best financing plans. The Tata Group will give a lot of importance to the electric vehicles project in the next year or two.