Bajaj to invest INR 300 crores for EV unit in Pune with 500,000 annual production capacity

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Bajaj Auto Ltd has announced an investment of INR 300 crore (USD 40 million) in a unit at Akurdi (Pune) for manufacturing Electric Vehicles. This unit will have a production capacity of 500,000 EVs per annum. It is spread over half a million sq. feet and will employ ~800 personnel. The first vehicle from this unit is expected to roll out by June 2022.

Bajaj Auto that currently offers Chetak Electric as the only EV option is gearing to focus on e-mobility going ahead. “Going forward, for the Bajaj portfolio, except for implementing one state-of-the-art ICE platform that is currently under development, all our R&D drive train resources are now laser-focused on creating EV solutions for the future. This alignment reflects our belief that light Electric Vehicles for sustainable urban mobility is an idea whose time may finally have come. Thus, this investment at Akurdi completes the virtuous cycle of hi-tech R&D competencies, high-efficiency engineering capabilities, world-class supply chain synergies, and a global distribution network which should leapfrog us into a market-leading position in EVs in India and overseas,” said Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto Ltd.

According to a company statement, the new unit will have robotic and automated manufacturing systems for everything including logistics and material handling, fabrication and painting, assembly, and quality assurance. These systems have been designed for flexible product mix while keeping in mind the best worker ergonomics and maximum process efficiency. The investments made by Bajaj Auto will be supplemented by a number of vendors, who will invest a further INR 250 crores (USD 33 million). Akurdi is also the site of the original Chetak scooter factory.