Home-grown auto major, Bajaj Auto, has begun producing electric vehicles at its brand-new factory in Akurdi, near Pune. Built at an investment of INR 300 crore, the plant is capable of manufacturing 500,000 EVs per year.
The company's investments will be supplemented by a number of vendors, who would invest an additional INR 250 crore.
The new facility will incorporate cutting-edge robotic and automated manufacturing technologies for everything from logistics and material handling to fabrication and painting, assembly, and quality assurance, the company said in a press release.
The new facility is spread over half a million sq ft of area, and will employ 800 personnel. The first vehicle from this unit is expected to roll out by June 2022.
Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto, said, “This investment at Akurdi completes the virtuous cycle of hi-tech R&D competencies, high-efficiency engineering capabilities, world class supply chain synergies, and global distribution network, which should leapfrog us into a market leading position in EVs in India and overseas.”
This new EV production facility in Akurdi is co-located with Bajaj Auto's R&D facility to enable stronger collaboration and speedier time-to-market. Furthermore, the company intends to turn the plant into a centre for the design, development, and manufacturing of a full range of electric vehicles.
In the future, except for implementing the Ione CE platform that is currently under development, all R&D drivetrain resources will now be laser focused on creating EV solutions for the future, the company said.