Tata and JSW near $1bn bet on domestic EV research

India’s Tata Group and JSW Group are collectively directing nearly $1bn towards independent electric-vehicle (EV) and battery research, as domestic manufacturers seek to reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains.

According to unnamed sources cited in the Bloomberg report, Tata Group’s battery subsidiary, Agratas, plans to invest more than $400m in a research and development centre in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

The facility will focus on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and lithium manganese iron phosphate cell technologies, which are areas where Agratas currently relies on Chinese suppliers.

Its goal is to establish domestic production capabilities and develop proprietary intellectual property.

The company also sources nickel manganese cobalt battery technology through South Korean supply chains.

LFP cells are seeing growing demand in battery energy storage system applications.

JSW Motors is separately planning to commit a minimum of $500m over five to six years to a research hub in Maharashtra.

Chief executive officer Ranjan Nayak said the centre will focus on adapting internationally developed vehicles for local conditions, developing proprietary software, and advancing connected-vehicle capabilities.

According to Nayak, as cited in the report, the facility is designed to adapt global automotive technology to Indian road conditions and cost expectations while maintaining international quality standards.

Both investments follow a tightening of technology transfer rules by Chinese authorities, which has subjected cross-border EV and battery collaborations to heightened regulatory scrutiny,

Agratas is also pursuing battery manufacturing activity in the UK, where the government last month confirmed a £380m ($510.76m) grant towards a gigafactory under construction in Somerset, south-west England.

The plant is intended to supply batteries for Jaguar Land Rover vehicles and is expected to rank among Europe’s largest battery manufacturing facilities.

In the same month, JSW Motors and Tata Elxsi announced a joint venture to establish JNEXT – the JSW NextGen Technology Center – in Pune.

The initiative targets the development of software-defined and AI-led mobility technologies in India, with the site expected to operate in close coordination with JSW Motors’ research, manufacturing and leadership functions.

“Tata and JSW near $1bn bet on domestic EV research” was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.

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