Tata Motors has unveiled next-generation electric trucks as part of its new commercial lineup, and there is a good chance they may be offered in South Africa.At an event in Cape Town last week, the Indian company showcased 11 new trucks, buses and bakkies destined for Africa spanning multiple segments, including electrified and traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) power. At the unveiling, Girish Wagh, executive director of Tata Motors, said the group aimed to achieve net zero greenhouse emissions by 2045 and was working towards a multi-energy portfolio of vehicles powered by ICE, electricity, hydrogen, compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas. He said the company aimed to start bringing electric vehicle (EV) technology to Africa, which is a growth market and where Tata already has a presence in 29 countries. South Africa’s commercial market is seeing a small shift to EVs as some fleet operators see the long-term operating costs of these zero-emission vehicles potentially offsetting their higher purchase prices and as the charging network grows. Along with several new trucks and buses with traditional diesel power, Tata showcased an electric lineup in Cape Town spanning various segments, starting with the Ace Pro, a compact last-mile electric bakkie with a power output of 29kW and a range of 155km. Others shown included the Ultra E.9, a light electric truck designed for clean and quiet intra-city logistics and low operating costs with a 140km range, and the Prima E28.K, a zero-emission tipper for mining and construction operations with a 200km range.The Tata Ace Pro is a compact last-mile electric bakkie. (TATA MOTORS) Jacques Taylor, CEO of Tata Africa Holdings, told Business Day it will be confirmed later which versions will come to South Africa. He said EVs were still small in the local commercial space, but if the high oil price persists, it may stimulate growth in the segment. It was too early to speculate what percentage of sales battery-powered trucks might comprise.The trucks and buses to be offered locally would be assembled at Tata’s semi-knocked down factory in Rosslyn, Pretoria. The Rosslyn plant, established in 2011, assembles 11 different trucks and earlier this year achieved a production milestone of 12,000 units. Speaking at the Cape Town event, Asif Shamim, head of international business at Tata Motors, said: “This showcase reflects our continued focus on developing relevant, application-led mobility solutions for our international markets. The portfolio presented here demonstrates the range of platforms and technologies we are building across segments, including EVs, tailored to different use cases and operating conditions.”Absent from the Cape Town display were the new Tata Xenon and Super Ace one-tonne bakkie ranges, which had already been confirmed for a South African relaunch later this year. The Super Ace is a single cab workhorse with a 1.4 turbodiesel engine and 1,000kg payload. The Xenon will arrive in July with single cab workhorses and double cab leisure variants, with specifications and pricing to be confirmed. The Xenon range was introduced in 2008 as the replacement for the older Tata Telcoline but exited the market in 2019 when the brand discontinued selling passenger cars and bakkies.Tata recently relaunched passenger vehicles in South Africa under the distributorship of the Motus group. Bakkies and trucks are brought in separately by the group’s Tata Motors commercial vehicles business, which has continuously operated locally since the 1990s. Tata Motors, India’s largest manufacturer of utility vehicles, pick-ups, trucks and buses, last year demerged from its passenger vehicles division, which includes cars, EVs and Jaguar Land Rover.Tata Motors is expected to become the world’s fourth largest commercial vehicle company in the over six-tonne category after its purchase of Italian truckmaker Iveco is finalised later this year. The group also owns South Korean brand Daewoo Trucks, which it acquired in 2004.The Iveco merger will create a global transport company with combined annual revenues of about €22bn and vehicle sales exceeding 500,000 units.