Tata To Set Up 300 Fast Charging Stations By Mid-2020 Along With EV Roll Out

To be spread mainly across five metropolitan cities

• Tata Motors working with Tata Power to set up charging infrastructure for electric mobility.

• Has already inaugurated 7 charging stations in Pune with plans to install another 45 chargers in next two months.

• First set of chargers adhere to 15kW Bharat Standard, future chargers to adhere to 30-50kW DC CCS 2 standards as well.

• Tata EV buyers to get three months of free charging, but chargers will be accessible to other compatible EVs as well.

• Tata to launch four new EVs for private buyers in the next 12-18 months.

• Tigor EV to come first with around 200km range

The push towards electrified mobility in India seems to be gaining momentum. Tata Motors has now announced its plans to set up charging facilities working together with Tata Power.

Tata will be installing 300 fast chargers by the end of financial year 2020 with a focus on five key cities - Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad. The move was kicked off with the inauguration of the first 7 charging stations in Pune, with plans to install another 45 chargers across the other four cities in the upcoming months.

These stations will be installed not just at Tata dealerships and Tata Group retail outlets but at other publicly accessible locations as well. There are already 85 operational charging points as of now across 13 cities and 9 states.

Tata Power will be operating these chargers and the first 50 will be 15kW chargers, adhering to the current Bharat Standard. However they do intend to offer charging stations that adhere to 30-50kW DC Combined Charging Station 2 Standard as well.

More importantly, these chargers will be accessible to all EV users as long as their vehicles are compatible with those charging standards. For instance, the Hyundai Kona Electric and upcoming MG eZS EVs offer 50kW CCS2 DC fast charging. But Tata will offer an incentive for those who buy their EVs by way of three months of free charging. The carmaker only recently announced its plans to launch four new EVs in India in the next 12-18 months.

The only EV currently offered by Tata is the Tigor EV which is on sale for commercial uses only. It is expected to go on sale to private owners soon with an improved range of around 200km. Tata is expected to offer the AltrozEV or Nexon EV next. However, there will likely be a considerable wait for that one as one of them is expected around mid-2020.