Tata Motors to supply 10K Xpres-Ts in largest-ever EV fleet order

Comes close on the heels of order signed with BluSmart for 3,500 Xpres-Ts

On the occasion of the World Environment Day, Tata Motors has signed an agreement with BluSmart Mobility - the country’s largest fully-electric ride-hailing service firm – for delivering 10,000 Xpres-T electric vehicles (EVs), making it the biggest-ever EV fleet order in India.

With deliveries starting soon, these vehicles are an addition to the order for 3,500 Xpres-T EVs signed by both companies in October last year, and will be availed of by commuters, in turn helping minimise the carbon footprint, Tata Motors said in a statement on Monday. 

The companies did not disclose the time period over which the order will be executed. With prices starting from Rs 10.58 lakh for the base variant (ex-showroom, including FAME subsidy), the models come in two trims. Analysts peg the value of the order to be around Rs 1,058 crore. Given the magnitude of the order, it is likely to be executed in small tranches in a two- to three-year period, they said.

“Tata Motors is taking active steps towards rapid electrification of mobility, and it is heartening to see renowned fleet aggregators joining the green mobility wave with us,” said Shailesh Chandra, managing director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility.

The Xpres-T EV fleet offers optimal battery size, along with a captive fast-charging solution. It has already set benchmarks in its category, claimed the company.  

With $50 million in Series A fund-raise, BluSmart is “super-charged to rapidly expand across Delhi-National Capital Region and metro cities”, said Anmol Singh Jaggi, co-founder, BluSmart Mobility, in a statement. 

BluSmart Mobility has covered 50 million clean kilometres (km) and delivered over 1.6 million zero-emission rides.

“We are building a large-scale integrated EV mobility ecosystem in India - from the country’s largest fully-electric ride-hailing service to the largest network of EV charging super hubs. With increasing fleet size, we are leading India on the path to reliable, sustainable, and zero-emission mobility and also creating more inclusive and economic opportunities for driver partners,” said Jaggi.

In July 2021, Tata Motors launched the Xpres brand exclusively for fleet customers. The Xpres-T EV is the first vehicle under this brand. It is based on the pre-facelift of the Tigor EV. The Xpres-T electric sedan comes with two range options – 213 km and 165 km (Automotive Research Association of India-certified range under test conditions).

It claims to pack a high energy density battery of 21.5 kilowatt hour (kWh) and 16.5 kWh and can be charged from 0- 80 per cent in 90 minutes and 110 minutes, respectively, using fast-charging or can also be normally charged from any 15-ampere plug point, which is easily available and convenient. 

It comes with zero tail-pipe emission, single-speed automatic transmission, dual airbags, anti-lock braking system with electronic brake-force distribution as standard across variants. 

Tata Motors controlled 87 per cent of the EV market in the passenger vehicle segment at the end of 2021-22, with over 25,000 Tata EVs on road to date in the personal-use and fleet segments.