Ashok Leyland is targeting 50–60% localisation of its electric vehicle battery packs, excluding cells, as it works to reduce dependence on imported components.
Speaking to Autocar Professional, Managing Director and CEO Shenu Agarwal, who is also the new President-designate of SIAM, said the company is setting up a battery pack facility near Chennai and plans to develop its own pack and battery management system (BMS) technology.
“We are going to localise, I would say, more than 50% or maybe 60% of the pack in India, other than the cell,” Agarwal said.
Production of battery packs for automotive applications is scheduled to begin by the end of 2027. Cell manufacturing does not yet have a firm timeline, though Agarwal said the company is seriously planning towards it.
The packs will not be restricted to Ashok Leyland’s own trucks and buses. The company plans to offer them to other automotive manufacturers as well.
Ashok Leyland is also looking at battery energy storage systems (BESS) to generate additional volumes. Agarwal said automotive demand alone may not initially provide the scale required for large investments, making adjacent applications important.
The company is drawing on its experience with conventional commercial vehicles as it builds capabilities in newer powertrains. Agarwal said around 99% of the components used in Ashok Leyland’s diesel trucks are localised after decades of manufacturing them in India. Electric trucks, in comparison, still have significant imported content.
“For example, to produce very efficient battery cells or packs in India will take some time,” Agarwal said, adding that developing such technology locally or transferring it from elsewhere would require time.
Ashok Leyland is also evaluating its approach to power electronics and other EV technologies. Agarwal said it would not make sense for any company to develop everything in-house.
The company, he said, has a roadmap identifying technologies it will develop itself, areas where it will work with partners and components that will continue to be sourced from suppliers.