An electric future is the ambition,

 If there was ever a time that kept us on our toes every single day of the month, it was the month of June, 2021. This phase, in between the nation coming out of the second COVID wave, and the time we are expecting the third wave to hit us has been an extremely busy one. The automotive industry came out in force, launching wave after wave of new cars. The 2-wheeler industry is still slow to catch on, but the passenger car business has been firing on all cylinders. It has also been a month of absolute awe and wonder. The luxury car space has seen such a mad rush of consumers that several of the most expensive cars launched in India were all sold out before they could be officially launched. This period in a sense has clearly shown the divide between those who have plenty and those who have little. As automobile evaluators and reviewers it’s amazing to see just how much is in store for us to drive, and that leads us to think just how underpaid the automotive media fraternity is that all we can do is borrow for short periods, but never own! Nonetheless, we derive what pleasure we can from that experience and move on to the next story.

                                These experiences, by the way, are also never cheap. Given how fuel prices are skyrocketing, we are at the mercy of the manufacturer’s full tanks for our tests and shoots, after which it is back to cycling! Prices in Mumbai for petrol have crossed the Rs 105 mark, with diesel inching closer to the ton as I write this piece. This makes electric vehicles all the more poignant in these times.

                           However as our cover shows, there are more luxury EVs coming out than EVs in the more affordable segments. This isn’t exactly the way to go, we need more manufacturers making EVs available in the affordable segments. And not just 2-wheelers. While there is a lot of excitement around the setting up of gigafactories in India as our news report indicates, where exactly are the vehicles?

                       Moving towards an electric future is the ambition, but without the right infrastructure, adequate power generated from renewable sources, and more importantly adequate EVs themselves, are we just taking pot shots in the dark?

Tata Motors’ chairperson N Chandrasekaran has announced that the firm will launch 10 new EVs through its passenger cars division by 2025. This follows the relative success of the Tata Nexon EV, which has become

the best-selling electric vehicle within the country and accounts for two per cent of the brand’s sales. Highlighting this

move may be a major shift within the carmaker’s business strategy, with a greater focus now on sustainability. These targets are additionally to Jaguar’s shift to becoming a totally electric brand by 2025 and 60 percent of Land Rover sales coming fromBEVs by 2030.

 Another notable development is that the Tata Group is actively trying to find partners in cell and battery

manufacturing in India and Europe, to make sure a gentle supply of those components for its upcoming EVs. The

group also will leverage its resources to line up a good network of charging infrastructure. the corporate is additionally 

looking to line up an automotive software and engineering vertical within the Tata Group, to satisfy the growing demands for connected tech and autonomous driving.

 Tata Motors launched the Tata Nexon EV in early 2020 and has since seen sales cross the 4,000 unit mark.The company expects this to select up further within the near future. within the pipeline is that the Tata Altroz EV also because the Tata HBX crossover, which can well get an EV version too. the corporate also sells the Tata Tigor EV sub-four-metre sedan largely to fleet operators and thru government contracts. No details were

given on the segments these 10 products are going to be aimed toward but expect these EVs to mirror the brand’s combustion-engined line-up, with SUVs accounting for quite few of the new offerings.

 Chandrasekaran went on to mention of this development, “Tata Motors will lead this alteration within the Indian market. Your company are going to be the torch-bearer for green mobility within the automotive world

and create a virtuous cycle of growth and returns for our shareholders too.

 We are clear that this shift to sustainable mobility is a thought whose time has come,

and the Tata Group will move forward with speed and scale to seize this and proactively drive the change in consumer behaviour in India and beyond.”