Ashok Leyland Breaks Ground on Battery Pack Plant Near Chennai

Ashok Leyland, a top commercial vehicle manufacturer and the flagship company of the Hinduja Group, broke ground on a new greenfield battery pack manufacturing facility at Pillaipakkam, near Chennai, on Wednesday -- marking a significant step of the group's commitment to building a domestic electric vehicle supply chain.

The facility will require an investment of between ₹400 crore-₹500 crore, forming part of a broader commitment made by the Hinduja Group under a memorandum of understanding signed with the Tamil Nadu government in September 2025.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin unveiled the foundation plaque at the ceremony. TRB Rajaa, the state's minister for industries, investment promotion and commerce, also attended, alongside senior officials from Guidance Tamil Nadu and the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu. Ashok Leyland's managing director and chief executive, Shenu Agarwal, was among the other dignitaries present.

The Pillaipakkam plant is intended to localise battery pack production within India, with the dual aim of strengthening the country's electric mobility supply chain and generating skilled employment in Tamil Nadu. The project has been developed in alignment with Tamil Nadu's Electric Vehicle Policy 2023, India's National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage, and the country's broader target of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2070.

Dheeraj Hinduja, executive chairman of Ashok Leyland, said in a statement: "Our journey has been closely intertwined with the growth of Tamil Nadu for more than seven decades. Ashok Leyland, along with its subsidiary, Switch Mobility, have already developed a vast range of electric commercial vehicles and have taken a lead position in the EV market. The groundbreaking of the new battery pack manufacturing facility marks an important step in our electric mobility journey and reinforces our commitment to building a strong domestic EV ecosystem."

Agarwal added: "Battery pack technology is central to the future of electric mobility and energy storage. This facility will enable us to build advanced battery pack solutions with greater efficiency, safety and reliability while supporting the battery supply chain localisation. It will also contribute to developing specialised talent and creating new opportunities in high-technology manufacturing within Tamil Nadu."

Ashok Leyland's connection to Tamil Nadu stretches back to the founding of its first manufacturing facility at Ennore in 1948. Over the intervening 77 years, the company has expanded to nine facilities in the state, spanning more than 800 acres, and has invested upwards of ₹9,000 crore in Tamil Nadu. The group's operations in the state have directly created more than 37,000 jobs.

The battery investment is part of a wider plan by Ashok Leyland to develop next-generation battery manufacturing covering both automotive and non-automotive applications, including energy storage systems.

Through Switch Mobility, its dedicated electric vehicle subsidiary, Ashok Leyland has already brought a range of electric commercial vehicles to market and established itself as one of the leading players in India's nascent electric bus and light commercial vehicle segments. 

The new battery pack facility at Pillaipakkam is intended to deepen that capability by bringing core battery technology in-house, reducing dependence on imported components and underpinning future product development across the group's electric portfolio.