The electric mobility unit of Tata Motors Ltd. and Hindustan Petroleum Corp. have entered into a partnership to set up EV charging stations across India.
As part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed on Wednesday, the two companies will set up public charging stations at locations frequented by electric car owners, according to a statement. The collaboration will leverage HPCL's fuel station network—21,500 outlets across India—and 1.2 lakh Tata Motors electric cars on the road.
Tata Motors and HPCL are also exploring a new payment system—a co-branded RFID card—for a hassle-free charging experience.
“This collaboration is essential for facilitating infrastructure development to support the expanding EV customer base,” said Balaje Rajan, chief strategy officer at Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd., in the statement. "Leveraging TPEM's extensive insights into EV usage and HPCL's extensive nationwide network, this partnership has the potential to transform the charging infrastructure landscape in the country."
To be sure, charging infrastructure is essential for the adoption of electric mobility. While electric two-wheelers have gathered momentum, electric cars have achieved only 2% penetration in the world's third-largest automotive market.
With four models, Tata Motors is India's largest electric carmaker, with a 68% market share. The Tata Group company is the first to launch an EV-only dealership in India, at Gurugram, with plans to expand the network over time. HPCL, on its part, wants to install 5,000 EV charging stations by December this year, up from 3,050 at present.
“Through this alliance, HPCL will leverage Tata Motors' vehicle base to enable our strategic expansion in EV charging infrastructure at places with higher charging demand and will help in reducing range anxiety among EV customers,” Debashis Chakraverty, chief general manager (retail strategy) at HPCL, said in the statement.
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