How Tata Motors Is Shaping The Future Of Mobility In India

Tata’s future mobility is all about connected car tech, EVs, ride-sharing, and world-class safety.

What will the future of mobility look like? This is a question we have to face sooner rather than later, especially since we spend so much of our time daily commuting. More importantly, given an increasingly prosperous demography and the planet’s fragile ecosystem and finite resources, how can sustainability be woven into this future of mobility? It is precisely these and other similar questions that Tata Motors has used as cornerstones for its vision of future mobility.

The Future of Mobility Involves a CESS

Don’t worry, there is no new ‘future mobility cess’ coming your way (hopefully). Rather, CESS (Connected, Electric, Shared, and Safe) refers to Tata Motors’ vision for the future of mobility in India. Here are some of its highlights. 

ZConnect and iRA – Tata’s Connected Car Technology

Tata is building a common Connected Vehicle Architecture for all its passenger, electric, and commercial vehicles. The company introduced this tech with Nexon EV and the updated BS6 Nexon. While ZConnect is meant for Tata’s EV range, iRA is for its fuel-powered cars.

ZConnect comprises 35 advanced connected car features including remote vehicle commands, emergency SOS, geo-fencing, share live location, driver analytics, and social media sharing through the Tribes app. It also gets EV specific features like find the nearest charging station, remote monitoring of vehicle range, charge level, and charging history.  

Similarly, iRA connected technology on the BS6 Tata Nexon includes geo-fencing, car locator, a natural voice system compatible, and social media integration via the Tribes app. These connected car technologies will make your drives more productive, more entertaining, safer, and will also gradually be introduced in Tata’s other fuel-powered and electric vehicles.

Electric Vehicles – Tata’s Solution for Sustainable Mobility 

Tata Motors ushered in a new era of e-mobility in India by launching the Nexon EV. The compact electric SUV’s highlight is Ziptron technology, which gives the e-SUV zippy performance while returning a single-charge range of 312km. Tata has also taken care of range anxiety issues by making the Nexon EV fast-charging compatible, charging the e-SUV from 0 to 80 per cent in an hour. The Nexon EV is Tata’s second stab at electric mobility after the Tigor EV, which was once government-only but can now be purchased by individuals too.

But the true picture of Tata’s e-mobility vision was painted by the company’s Auto Expo 2020 line-up. Apart from the Nexon, Altroz, and Tigor EVs, the star of the show was the resurrected Sierra. Tata revived one of its most-loved SUVs and showcased it as a fully-electric Tata Sierra concept. It also showcased a near-production version of the H2X compact SUV, now adjudged the Tata HBX concept. As with its siblings, the HBX too might get an electric heart upon launch. 

Tata Bets Big on Shared Mobility  

Tata Motors believes shared mobility has an important role to play in mitigating issues like inadequate parking space, endless traffic snarls, and rising air and noise pollution. It has even created a separate division for shared mobility -- Mobility Innovations Hub -- making it the first Indian automaker to do so.

Tata recently tied-up with Prakriti E-Mobility, an app-based EV taxi operator, to deploy 500 Tigor EVs in New Delhi. The company is also working on concepts like TACNet IdeaNation, a platform where citizens submit their thoughts on what ails the nation’s mobility ecosystem. It will then use public voting to select the top three mobility issues; solutions to which Tata Motors will incubate with the help of willing individuals and startups.  

Tata Motors – India’s Safest Carmaker

The final part of the future mobility puzzle lies with safety. Tata Motors ensures that safety doesn’t cost a premium by offering world-class safety tech with its cars. This approach bore rich dividends for Tata as it counts two 4-star, BS6 Tiago and Tigor, and two 5-star, Nexon and Altroz, Global NCAP rated cars in its portfolio. Moreover, these cars also get a host of pedestrian-protection design and features, which will trickle down to the rest of Tata’s line-up. This no-compromise approach to safety has made Tata Motors indisputably India’s safest carmaker. 

A Bright Future for Mobility in India

Tata Motors is also collaborating with several of its group companies including Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Tata Autocomp, and Tata Motors Finance to create a sustainable and affordable mobility ecosystem. Combine that with the CESS approach and the concepts showcased at Auto Expo 2020, it is safe to say Tata Motors will lead the way in shaping the future of mobility in India.