EV Manufacturing in India 2026: Where Are New EV Factories and Gigafactories Being Built?

May 13, 2026

India’s EV industry in 2026 looks fundamentally different from even two years ago. What was once a pipeline of announcements is now translating into operational capacity; greenfield plants are live, battery gigafactories are under commissioning, and global OEMs are deploying capital with long-term intent. This shift is not isolated to vehicle assembly; it reflects the rapid build-out of the EV supply chain in India, alongside parallel investments in EV charging infrastructure in India to support scale.

In terms of geography, the trend is toward clustering in ways that form an Indian EV industrial corridor, with vehicle manufacturing happening in Tamil Nadu, batteries and cells manufacturing in Gujarat, powertrain components in Maharashtra, and batteries in Telangana. It should be noted that this clustering phenomenon is also being used as part of a strategic move to develop India’s own capabilities for semiconductor manufacturing, which will become crucial for EV electronics and control systems.

For those evaluating where are EV plants located in India, the answer is no longer concentrated in a single region, it is a multi-state network aligned with logistics, policy incentives, and supplier ecosystems. This expansion is being led by both domestic leaders and global entrants, with several top EV manufacturing companies in India 2026 actively scaling capacity across these hubs.

In 2026, India’s EV story is no longer about intent, it is about execution, infrastructure, and integrated manufacturing at scale.

Tamil Nadu EV Manufacturing: India's EV Manufacturing Capital

Tamil Nadu has consolidated its position as the country's dominant EV manufacturing state, accounting for approximately 40% of India's total EV production across two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and passenger vehicles, and 70% of EV two-wheeler manufacturing specifically. The state's combination of a dense auto component supply chain, port access, renewable energy availability, and progressive industrial policy has made it the default destination for both domestic and foreign EV investment.

The most significant 2026 milestone is the Tata Motors-JLR plant at Panapakkam, Ranipet. The Rs 9,000 crore greenfield facility began production on February 9, 2026, built from MoU to first vehicle in 17 months, with the Range Rover Evoque rolling out as its first locally assembled unit. The plant, designed for 250,000 units annually at full capacity and powered entirely by renewable energy, will produce next-generation EVs on JLR's Electrified Modular Architecture (EMA) alongside Tata's own electric passenger vehicle lineup. It is one of the most consequential EV factory openings in India's recent history.

Ola Electric operates both its Futurefactory and adjacent Gigafactory in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu. The Gigafactory, spread across 115 acres, began producing in-house 4680-format NMC cells at pilot scale, with Ola delivering vehicles powered by its proprietary 'Bharat Cells' in late 2025. The company is the only entity in India to have produced and commercialised in-house lithium-ion cells, having received the first PLI-ACC disbursement of Rs 73.7 crore in March 2025. TVS Motor Company and Ather Energy, both also Tamil Nadu-based, are simultaneously scaling two-wheeler EV production, with the state hosting the country's three largest electric two-wheeler manufacturers.

VinFast, the Vietnamese EV manufacturer, has signed an MoU with the Tamil Nadu government for approximately 200 hectares of land for an integrated vehicle manufacturing facility, part of a committed investment of up to USD 2 billion. Hyundai Motor India, operating from its established Chennai plant, is executing a Rs 20,000 crore expansion roadmap that includes electric vehicle variants and platform localisation.

Maharashtra EV Manufacturing: Powertrain, Premium, and Battery Assembly

Maharashtra remains the deepest and most diversified EV manufacturing market by investment volume. Mahindra's Chakan plant in Pune is now fully operational as a dedicated EV manufacturing and battery assembly facility, unveiled in January 2025 and ramping through 2026. The 88,000 sq. metre plant, 100% powered by renewable energy and equipped with over 1,000 robots, is designed for 200,000 EV units annually and is currently producing the BE 6e and XEV 9e Electric Origin SUVs. Mahindra has allocated Rs 4,500 crore of its Rs 16,000 crore FY22-FY27 investment cycle specifically to this EV manufacturing and powertrain buildout. By end-2026, it plans to have a lineup of five dedicated EVs in production.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor, operating from its Bidadi facility near Bengaluru and expanding into Maharashtra, is investing 300 billion yen (USD 1.9 billion)) to open a third assembly plant in 2026, making the capacity as 1 million units by 2030s. This positions Maharashtra as Toyota's primary EV export manufacturing hub for the Middle East and Africa.

Gujarat EV Manufacturing: The Battery Belt

Gujarat is emerging as India's primary battery manufacturing geography, driven by port infrastructure for lithium carbonate imports, large industrial land availability, and state incentive schemes. Tata Group's Agratas, the dedicated battery subsidiary, is constructing a 40 GWh gigafactory at Sanand in a phased development. As of December 2025, the 320-acre facility, one of India's largest single-site clean energy investments, had structural steel nearing completion with 2,000+ construction workers on site. Equipment orders with South Korean manufacturers are placed with delivery targeted in H1 2026; commercial cell production is targeted for 2026-27, with Tata Motors and JLR as anchor customers.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) announced commencing its operations from its new battery gigafactory targeting an annual output of 40 GWh. It will eventually expand to 100 GWh annually through modular scaling of the factory. Reliance's integration of renewable energy generation, battery production, and grid storage at Jamnagar represents the most vertically ambitious clean energy manufacturing complex in the country.

Telangana EV Manufacturing: Heavy Battery and Commercial EV Anchor

Telangana has established itself as the anchor state for large-format battery manufacturing, led by Amara Raja's gigafactory in Mahbubnagar. The facility, backed by a Rs 9,500 crore investment commitment over a decade, has battery pack assembly already operational, with the first 1 GWh phase of cell production. Hyderabad also hosts Andhra Pradesh and Telangana's growing EV component manufacturing ecosystem, with the state governments both competing aggressively for EV supply chain investment through dedicated EV policies.

The Battery Manufacturing Reality: Announcements vs. Production

The story of battery manufacturing capacity creation in India as of 2026 reveals an interesting contrast in terms of aspiration vs reality. Government statements have made mention of around 178 GWh of manufacturing capacity of batteries across various proposed projects. However, the commissioned capacity for cell manufacturing as of early 2026 stands at only 1.4 GWh, all of which is from the Ola Electric Krishnagiri plant.

In addition, even though the PLI-ACC scheme, which had Rs 18,100 crore earmarked for promoting 50 GWh worth of local cells manufacturing capacity, has disbursed nothing so far, as none of its 2024 milestones have been achieved. Investment committed under the scheme stands at Rs 3,237 crore, roughly 29% of the minimum programme target.

Moreover, Exide Industries will be able to start producing from their lithium-ion cell factory at Bengaluru by the end of FY26, when commissioning will be done.

Structurally speaking, the reasons are well established; PLI subsidies, which depend on the establishment, commissioning, production, sales, and only after that, subsidy, have made it difficult for new entrants who do not have prior experience in lithium-ion batteries to meet the requirement. Amara Raja, Agratas (Tata), and Reliance are the three firms which are nearing commercial production, with commissioning dates set in late 2026-2027.

In parallel, India approved Rs 7,280 crore to build five domestic rare-earth magnet factories following China's April 2025 NdFeB export controls, which had exposed critical dependency and forced the government to allow e-truck and e-bus makers to import Chinese magnet-laden motors while still receiving PM E-Drive incentives. The magnet factories represent a materials-first industrial policy shift, though structural challenges in upstream heavy rare earth availability mean that genuine supply chain independence remains a medium-term ambition.

The Investment Geography in Summary

India's EV manufacturing investment in 2026 is real, geographically distributed, and accelerating, but unevenly executed. Tamil Nadu leads in operational production across two-wheelers, passenger EVs, and cell manufacturing. Maharashtra anchors powertrain and premium EV assembly. Gujarat is building the battery supply chain anchor. Telangana is scaling large-format cell production.

The gap between announced capacity and commissioned capacity, particularly in batteries, is the defining structural challenge of the next 24 months. For manufacturers, investors, and supply chain partners watching India's electric vehicle manufacturing story unfold, the metric that matters most is not megawatt-hours announced: it is kilowatt-hours produced.

India's EV factories are no longer just on paper. The question in 2026 is not who is investing, it is who is producing.

Connect with IMARC Engineering’s EV Charging Infrastructure Advisory Team for feasibility studies, infrastructure planning, utility assessment, and end-to-end project support.