Two of India's largest business groups, Tata and JSW, are independently planning to invest close to $1 billion in building domestic research capabilities in electric vehicle and battery technologies, Business Standard reported , citing sources.
The push reflects a growing urgency among Indian conglomerates to reduce their reliance on Chinese technology.
Tata Group's battery arm, Agratas Ltd., is putting more than $400 million into a new research and development facility in Bengaluru.
The centre will focus on developing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and lithium manganese iron phosphate battery technologies, both of which Tata currently sources from China.
LFP cells are seeing rising demand particularly for use in battery energy storage systems.
The facility is aimed at helping Tata eventually manufacture these cells domestically and build its own intellectual property. Agratas currently uses nickel manganese cobalt battery technology obtained from South Korea.
"Our global R&D programme is progressing well, supported by two state-of-the-art labs in Bengaluru and Oxford," an Agratas spokesperson said, adding that the firm is using advanced equipment and workforce "to drive our next generation of battery innovation."
Separately, JSW Motors Ltd., the passenger vehicle unit of Sajjan Jindal's group, plans to invest at least $500 million over five to six years in a research hub in Maharashtra.
CEO Ranjan Nayak said the centre will work on localising vehicles developed with global partners, building proprietary software and advancing connected vehicle technology.
The aim is to adapt global automotive platforms to Indian conditions, from road environments to price expectations.
The investments come as China grows increasingly protective of its core battery and EV technologies amid the ongoing tariff war with the United States.
Indian companies that built their EV programmes around Chinese technology are now facing delays, tighter compliance requirements and reduced access to the latest innovations.