India’s Tata Group signs EV battery plant deal Worth $1.6 billion

As part of the country’s efforts to develop its own electric vehicle supply chain, India’s Tata Group signed an outline agreement on Friday for the construction of a lithium-ion cell factory, based on an investment of about 130 billion rupees ($1.58 billion). India’s automobile market is small in comparison to the country’s population. EV sales, which accounted for just 1% of India’s total automobile sales last year of about 3.8 million, are dominated by Tata Motors.

Construction on the plant, which will be based in Sanand, northern Gujarat, is expected to begin in less than three years, according to a joint statement on the memorandum of understanding from Tata’s unit Agratas Energy Storage Solutions and the government of the western state of Gujarat.

The statement stated that it would have a starting manufacturing capacity of 20 Gigawatt hours (GWh), which could be doubled in a subsequent phase of expansion. Vijay Nehra, an official in the Gujarat state government told Reuters that the facility will significantly aid in the growth of Gujarat’s and India’s EV ecosystem.

Meanwhile, with a starting price of Rs 18.79 Lakh (ex-showroom), Tata Motors, the third-largest automaker in the nation, has introduced its most recent upgraded Nexon EV MaxXZ+ Lux. The updated 26.03 cm (10.25 inch) HARMAN touchscreen infotainment system is a feature of this new variant. Other than this, the car has not undergone any mechanical changes and continues to be powered by the same drivetrain as the previous Nexon EV Max model.

This new screen will have WiFi connectivity options, a high-definition rearview camera, enhanced audio performance with sharp notes, and extended bass performance. Along with a new User Interface (UI), the new system will also be available with a voice assistant that can operate in 6 languages and accept 180+ voice commands in English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi.

As previously stated, besides this upgrade, the variant receives no other changes and continues to be powered by the same Tata Ziptron technology. A 40.5 kWh Lithium-ion battery pack will be included. The battery has a 33 per cent greater capacity than the standard Nexon EV. A longer range is produced by a larger battery pack. Tata Nexon EV Max has a claimed range of 312 km but has an ARAI-certified range of 437 km.