Tata Motors is planning to have 10 electric vehicles (EVs)s in its portfolio by 2025, including the existing Nexon, Tigor, Tiago and Express T.

The company recently showcased the concept car Curvv which will be mass-produced on its Gen II platform that is optimised for EV but can also be used for traditional combustion engines.

Talking about the new EV lineup, Vivek Srivatsa, head, marketing and sales, Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd, said the company is going to have the Curvv EV which is a coupe SUV, the Harrier EV and the Sierra EV.

Asked if the company plans to have born electric vehicles, Srivatasa said: “Born electric cannot have internal combustion engines and that dramatically limits their potential in the market.

“We are a firm believer that when we make a new product we should make it compatible with both electric production and traditional combustion engine that gives us economies of scale and with one product we can attract a large set of customers.”

Talking about the debottlenecking of EV demand, Srivats said: “It can be done only by expanding the charging infrastructure. We classify the challenges for EV adoption into two categories, one is highway charging which is predictable and functional.

People want to use EVs for long drives especially because they are far easier to drive, economical and comfortable but they need the trust that they will have an EV charger here, they won’t have to wait for too long and they will be able to charge it in half an hour, then its going to unlock a lot of potential.”

The other area of improvement is how to get people to charge their vehicles when they do not have dedicated parking slots.

Tata Motors has a target of being completely carbon neutral by 2040. The electrification of cars will give a strong momentum towards achieving carbon neutrality.

But the company will offer every powertrain till there is a demand.

“We estimate that by 2030, 50 per cent of our sales will be EV and 50 per cent ICE. While EV will grow fast and give us overall growth, ICE will sustain as well,” said Srivatsa.

“We believe the potential for EV penetration in smaller cities is very high. The smaller town customer has a far lesser running distance or mileage done in a week or so, so the number of times they have to charge is less,” Srivatsa said.

“Second is the availability of dedicated parking space is not such a challenge in smaller towns.

“And thirdly, mentally the people of Tier 2 and 3 cities are prepared to adopt
EVs because electric two-wheelers and three-wheelers have made a big impact there already.”

“Our portfolio, both in terms of EV and ICE, is expanding. And in terms of real estate we have to do justice to both the product ranges, there seems to be a need emerging for a separate channel,” said Srivatsa.