The Tata Group is planning to adopt a ‘One Tata Approach’ to deliver cleaner mobility solutions for the future, with its automotive unit Tata Motors spearheading the initiative.
The salt-to-software conglomerate is considering setting up a working group of key executives from Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Realty and Tata Finance to offer a complete turnkey solution for companies, shared-mobility providers, government agencies and others to address infrastructure and cost issues.
Tata Motors, in fact, recently created an electric mobility division to have special focus on this nascent, but potentially big, business. The idea is to offer a complete turnkey solution and assure the user on the cost and range anxiety. As part of the plan, Tata Motors will offer the car, while Tata Power will set up charging stations and Tata Realty will help build physical infrastructure, depots or dedicated electric vehicle stations.
TCS, the information technology arm, will help develop an app or software platform — both at the company end and at the customer end — or even offer the back-end support. Tata Motors Finance will offer financing or leasing solutions. Tata Motors MD Guenter Butschek told ET that the concept of One Tata emerged when the company tried to seed its electric bus idea for state transport undertakings.
The state utilities asked for a complete solution and were willing to pay for use of services.
“When we looked around, we said this group can be of great value and can jointly leverage a new opportunity in the market and this is a multi-billion market in the mid- to long-term if we just join forces. And, we started to build according to the tender requirements as a consortium,” he said. “The same can be applied in PVs (passenger vehicles) as well.”
Tata Motors was the L1 bidder (the one that quoted the lowest price) for the government’s order for 10,000 electric vehicles and has been pushing the government to come out with a dedicated electric vehicle policy to drive adoption.
The MD said carmaker will approach companies which transport people to work. It can offer “complete peace of mind solution”, including apps for employees to track their pickup or drop time, travel time and that too in a protective environment which is predictable, doing away with issues on range or charge challenges, he said.
While the potential growth opportunity lies with public transportation solution or corporate fleets, Tata Motors is planning to open up sales of its Tigor and Tiago EV to individual buyers and shared mobility providers.
Courtesy: The Economic Times