Nearly $1 billion in planned investments highlights growing urgency to build indigenous EV and energy storage capabilities.
India’s leading industrial groups are accelerating investments in electric vehicle (EV) and battery technologies as they seek to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and strengthen domestic innovation capabilities.
Tata Group and JSW Group are separately committing close to $1 billion toward research and development initiatives aimed at building in-house expertise in advanced battery systems, EV platforms and connected mobility technologies, according to people familiar with the plans.
The renewed focus comes as battery technology — the most expensive and technically demanding component of EV manufacturing — becomes central to global competition. Indian companies are increasingly prioritising localisation amid tightening technology access and rising geopolitical tensions that have made cross-border technology transfers more complex.
Tata’s battery arm, Agratas Ltd., is investing more than $400 million to establish a new research facility in Bengaluru. The centre will concentrate on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and lithium manganese iron phosphate battery chemistries, which are gaining traction in electric mobility and energy storage applications. The initiative aims to help the company develop proprietary intellectual property while laying the groundwork for domestic battery cell manufacturing.
Meanwhile, JSW Motors Ltd. plans to invest at least $500 million over the next five to six years in a Maharashtra-based research hub. The facility will focus on localising vehicles developed with international partners, advancing connected vehicle technologies and strengthening in-house automotive software capabilities tailored to Indian conditions.
The investments reflect a broader shift across India’s automotive industry, where companies are reassessing earlier collaborations that relied heavily on foreign technology. With access to advanced battery and EV technologies becoming more restricted, several firms — including Reliance Industries Ltd. — are increasing efforts to build indigenous innovation ecosystems.
Together, these initiatives signal India’s growing ambition to emerge as a global hub for electric mobility and next-generation battery development.
