Tata Steel has introduced Electric Vehicles (EVs) for transportation of finished steel at its Jamshedpur plant.

The steel major, which had launched the initiative at the Sahibabad plant in Uttar Pradesh in July, extended it to Jamshedpur with an inaugural run from the company's Billet Yard to Beekay Steel Plant on Wednesday evening.

Tata Steel has tied up with an Indian startup to pursue its aspiration of deploying EVs for the transportation of finished steel.

The company has been contracted to deploy 27 EVs with a minimum carrying capacity of 35 tonnes of steel. The company plans to deploy 15 EVs at its Jamshedpur plant and 12 EVs at its Sahibabad plant.

Sudhansu Pathak, vice- president, (Steel Manufacturing), Tata Steel, referred to the adoption of this technology as an important initiative to reduce carbon footprint and further the cause of sustainability. "The initiative is a reinforcement of Tata Steel’s commitment as a responsible corporate towards the residents of steel city," he added.

Company vice-president ( Supply Chain) Peeyush Gupta said the initiative was aimed at reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and would help protect the environment in the long run.

The EVs being deployed comprise a 2.5 ton, 275kWh lithium-ion battery pack with a sophisticated cooling system and a battery management system having the capability to operate at ambient temperatures of up to 60 degrees Celsius.

The battery pack is powered by a 160 kWh charger set-up which is able to charge the battery from 0 to 100 % in 95 minutes.

With zero tailpipe emission, each EV would reduce the GHG footprint by more than 125-tonne carbon dioxide equivalent every year.