Home-grown steel manufacturer Tata Steel has tied up with an Indian start-up to deploy electric vehicles (EVs) for its steel transport. This makes the company the first steel producer to deploy EVs for finished steel transportation.
Tata Steel has contracted for 27 EVs, each with a carrying capacity of 35 tonne of steel (minimum capacity).
The company plans to deploy 15 EVs at its Jamshedpur plant and 12 EVs at its Sahibabad plant. The first set of EVs for the steelmaker is being put in operation between Tata Steel BSL’s Sahibabad plant and Pilkhuwa Stockyard in Uttar Pradesh.
The EVs comprise a 2.2 tonne 230.4 kWh Lithium-ion battery pack with a sophisticated cooling system and a battery management system that can operate at ambient temperatures up to 60 degrees Celsius.
The battery pack is powered by a 160-kWh charger which can charge the battery from 0 to 100% in 90 minutes. With zero tailpipe emission, each electric vehicle would reduce the GHG footprint by more than 125 tonne CO2 every year.
Dibyendu Bose, Vice President, Supply Chain, Tata Steel, said this initiative aims to reduce GHG emissions and help protect the environment in the long run. “It is the beginning of a new era for Tata Steel and the supply chain division and I wish them all success,” he added.