Tamil Nadu plans plug-and-play model at proposed EV park in Hosur

Keen to attract more investments in the burgeoning electric vehicles (EV) sector, Tamil Nadu has almost completed work on acquiring land for the state’s first EV park of 300 acres in Shoolagiri on the outskirts of this industrial city and plans to offer a plug-and-play business model for those setting up their units.

The EV park will be located inside Hosur’s third industrial estate being developed by the State Industrial Promotion Corporation (SIPCOT), which has already completed the process of acquiring over 800 acres of the land out of the planned 1,025 acres. The existing two SIPCOT estates are spread over 1,235.86 acres, and 856.67 acres respectively housing 363 industries of varied sizes, and three housing colonies.

Sources told DH that about 15 to 20 companies have already been allotted land on lease for 99 years at the upcoming SIPCOT estate in Shoolagiri and they are waiting for approvals from departments concerned. The work on laying the approach road to the SIPCOT estate from the National Highway connecting Chennai with Bengaluru has also started.

The state government had recently announced that an EV park will come up near Hosur, which is being projected as an hub for EV and allied industries. Home-grown EV majors like Ather, Ola, TVS Motor Company, and Simple Energy have already made Hosur-Krishnagiri-Dharmapuri (HKD) region by setting up large-scale manufacturing units.

“The EV park in Shoolagiri will be spread over an area of 300 acres and we plan to attract one major investment into it to start with. Once a major player sets shops, we believe others will follow. We plan to offer a plug-and-play business model for those coming to this EV park,” a source in the know told DH.

The EV park will house original equipment manufacturers, manufacturers of components like batteries, and those related to charging infrastructure. “We will arrange for the entire ecosystem to be present in the same place. The idea behind an EV park is to attract more EVs to come to Hosur and presence of ancillary industries will give confidence to investors to choose the place,” the source said.

However, the source refused to give a deadline for the EV park to come into operation, saying “we are working on the mission mode.” The government feels its exclusive policy for EVs with a special focus on advanced cell manufacturing will make the Shoolagiri EV hub a success.

Another source said the work on acquiring the remaining land of over 200 acres for the Shoolagiri SIPCOT has also been expedited and will be over soon. “Shoolagiri is the most after-sought location in the region with Hosur reaching saturation point. We already have several requests from industries seeking plots in the estate,” the second source said.

Besides Shoolagiri, the government also plans to develop an industrial hub in Nagamangalam village in Krishnagiri, and Adhagapadi (1,733 acres) in Dharmapuri.

According to data released by the government, TN accounts for over 34% of total planned investments in the EV sector with not just EV firms but battery manufacturers like BYD, Grinntech, Lucas-TVS, and Li Energy setting up their units in the state.