Hyundai, TVS bet on electric three-wheelers to crack India’s last-mile market

Chennai:
Hyundai Motor Company has tied up with TVS Motor Company to develop and commercialise electric three-wheelers (E3Ws), marking the Korean carmaker’s most direct push yet into India’s vast last-mile mobility market.

The two companies on Monday signed a joint development agreement to co-create vehicles tailored for Indian conditions, with TVS expected to lead manufacturing and sales from its domestic base while Hyundai drives design and advanced engineering.

The move comes as India — the world’s largest three-wheeler market — emerges as a key battleground for electric mobility, particularly in passenger and cargo transport segments where operating costs and regulatory nudges are accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels.

Under the agreement, Hyundai will bring its global R&D capabilities and design expertise, while TVS will deploy its electric three-wheeler platform and local market understanding. The vehicles will be produced in India with a high degree of localisation, a strategy aimed at lowering costs, strengthening supply chains and ensuring faster service support.

The partnership builds on an earlier concept showcased at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025 and signals a transition to commercial development and eventual mass production. The companies said the product would be engineered for India-specific challenges such as uneven road conditions, dense urban usage and tropical climates.

Features under consideration include higher ground clearance suited for monsoon-hit roads, enhanced thermal management systems and modular configurations that can be adapted for passenger transport, cargo movement and emergency services.

For Hyundai, the tie-up offers a route into a segment it has so far not directly addressed in India, where its presence has largely been in passenger vehicles. For TVS, it brings access to global design and engineering capabilities as it scales its electric mobility portfolio.

The companies did not disclose investment details or launch timelines but said dedicated teams have been set up to fast-track development, testing and regulatory approvals.

Tamil Nadu ramps up LPG access for migrant workers

CHENNAI:
India’s state-run oil marketing companies have stepped up efforts with the Tamil Nadu government to ensure uninterrupted access to cooking gas for migrant workers, as authorities move to cushion the impact of global supply disruptions on domestic consumers.

Acting under the guidance of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the oil industry has doubled the daily availability of 5-kg free trade LPG cylinders — a smaller, more flexible option widely used by migrant labourers and daily wage earners. The expanded supply is being rolled out across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry through coordination with state departments.

The intervention comes against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions affecting global energy supply chains, prompting Centre and state governments to pre-empt shortages and stabilise fuel distribution.

A release from State Level Coordinator (SLC), Oil Industry – Tamil Nadu & Puducherry said the additional allocation is being targeted at high-density migrant clusters in industrial belts such as Chennai, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Erode and Thiruvallur. Oil companies have deployed distributors directly to construction sites, industrial hubs and worker settlements, enabling over-the-counter sales through petrol pumps and local retail outlets.

To lower access barriers, new 5-kg connections are being issued with minimal documentation, requiring only basic identity proof such as Aadhaar. A release stated that the availability of these cylinders has already risen by about 70 per cent since April 7 compared with pre-disruption levels, with further increases planned.

“LPG supplies across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry remain stable, with adequate stocks at bottling plants and distributorships,” said V C Asokan, state-level coordinator for the oil industry, referring to operations of public sector retailers including Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited.

The move underscores a broader policy push to ring-fence vulnerable consumers from supply shocks, while maintaining continuity in essential fuel distribution.

Tamil Nadu sharpens its pitch as Chennai entrenches itself in India’s GCC map

 

C Shivakumar @ CHENNAI:
Tamil Nadu is increasingly being judged not as an alternative to India’s larger technology hubs, but as a more predictable one for multinational companies rethinking how and where to build their global capability centres (GCCs.

The state has quietly assembled the building blocks in the last five years that matter most to global enterprises --- a deep and stable talent pool, competitive real estate economics and an operating environment that favours long-duration, engineering-led work.

As a result, Tamil Nadu is emerging as one of the few Indian states with a credible multi-city GCC strategy, anchored by Chennai and supported by fast-rising Coimbatore.

Chennai’s office market delivered one of its strongest performances on record in 2025, with total leasing volumes touching 10.1 million sq ft — the second-highest annual absorption after the 2023 peak, according to Knight Frank India. Leasing rose 24 per cent year-on-year, even as activity moderated slightly in the July–December period.

GCCs were at the heart of that momentum. In the second half of 2025, they accounted for 41 per cent of leasing, driven largely by manufacturing-led and multi-functional operations rather than pure IT services. Flexible workspace operators, catering to companies seeking managed and scalable formats, contributed another 23 per cent of leasing, reflecting changing corporate space strategies.

The demand is not evenly spread across sectors — or geographies. Data from Colliers shows that between 2020 and 2025, Chennai recorded cumulative GCC leasing of 16.1 million sq ft, with US-headquartered firms accounting for nearly three-quarters of that footprint.

BFSI and technology together made up more than half of overall GCC demand, while engineering and manufacturing — traditionally associated with captive centres outside India — emerged as a structurally important pillar, accounting for 19 per cent of total leasing.

European GCCs, by contrast, skewed heavily towards engineering and manufacturing, reflecting Chennai’s long-standing industrial base and proximity to automotive and electronics supply chains. UK-linked centres showed a strong bias towards financial services, underlining the city’s growing role in regulated, compliance-heavy work.

What sets Chennai apart is not headline scale but operating confidence. The city supports more than 600,000 experienced technology professionals, supplemented by an annual pipeline of over 85,000 graduates, according to analysis by ANSR. For global firms running large, multi-year programmes in AI, data and core engineering, that depth translates into lower attrition risk and better retention of institutional knowledge.

The talent base is anchored by institutions such as IIT Madras, Anna University and VIT Chennai, which continue to produce engineering-first graduates aligned with enterprise needs rather than short-cycle technology trends. GCCs are increasingly relying on the city for platform development, applied AI and large-scale data programmes where continuity matters as much as speed.

Costs have reinforced that appeal. Grade A office rentals in Chennai, typically in the ₹60–85 per sq ft range, remain competitive relative to Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune, even as infrastructure-led corridors such as Old Mahabalipuram Road and GST Road absorb a growing share of new demand. Peripheral business districts along these corridors accounted for 36 per cent of second-half leasing in 2025, reflecting both availability and improved connectivity.

Policy is now being layered onto those fundamentals. The Tamil Nadu government has announced plans to establish a dedicated desk to fast-track clearances and attract research and development–focused GCCs, as it seeks to pull investment not just from overseas but also from companies relocating operations from other Indian states.

“This is about faster clearances for all the GCCs wanting to set up office in Tamil Nadu,” Industries Minister T R B Rajaa said at the GCC Next Summit 2025 in Chennai. “We want to build a thriving research and development ecosystem in Chennai and attract GCCs moving from other states — thanks to our availability of A-grade commercial space and deep talent pool.”

The state has also signed a strategic partnership with ANSR to help multinational firms establish and scale centres in Tamil Nadu — a move officials describe as one of the most consequential interventions yet in the state’s GCC push.

Crucially, the strategy is not limited to Chennai. Further west, Coimbatore is emerging as the state’s second pillar in the GCC landscape. Long associated with manufacturing, the city reached an inflection point in 2025 as enterprises began to view it as a credible execution hub for analytics-led and AI-adjacent work.

ANSR estimates suggest Coimbatore now has more than 231,000 experienced technology professionals and produces around 60,000 graduates annually, supported by STEM-focused institutions such as PSG Tech, Amrita and CIT.
For global companies, the appeal of Tamil Nadu increasingly lies in optionality: the ability to scale large teams in Chennai, diversify risk into Coimbatore, and operate within a single regulatory and policy framework. Analysts estimate that nearly 15 per cent of India’s overall GCC demand could originate from Chennai and Coimbatore combined in the coming years.

As competition among Indian states intensifies for high-value global work, Tamil Nadu rather than chasing rapid expansion at any cost, is positioning itself as a steady, engineering-led platform for multinational firms building the next generation of enterprise capability centres — not just service hubs, but engines of innovation.

Factfile:
Nearly 15% of India’s overall GCC demand is estimated to originate from Chennai and Coimbatore combined.
Total GCC leasing in Chennai (2020–25): 16.1 million sq ft of cumulative GCC leasing over five years.

Origin of GCC demand in Chennai:
US firms: 11.8 million square feet (msf)
EU firms: 1.4 msf
UK firms: 1.5 msf
Others: 1.4 msf

Top GCC sectors by leasing share
BFSI: 29%
Technology: 27%
Engineering & Manufacturing: 19%

US GCCs: Balanced mix of BFSI (30%) and technology (32%)
EU GCCs: Engineering & manufacturing dominant (72%)
UK GCCs: BFSI-led (73%)
Emerging sectors beyond core IT
Healthcare: 6% of GCC leasing
Consulting: 4%

 GCCs accounted for 41% of total leasing in the second half of 2025.
Cost competitiveness: Grade A office rentals in Chennai range between ₹60–85 per sq ft, lower and more stable than major peer markets.

Talent pipeline strength: 600,000+ experienced technology professionals in Chennai; 85,000+ graduates annually

India’s fast breeder bet reaches critical moment

C Shivakumar @ Chennai: 

It has been a 16-year wait since I first began covering nuclear energy and asking when the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) would attain criticality. The answer finally came on Monday, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the reactor had achieved the milestone.

I recall a visit to Kalpakkam on September 29, 2010, when journalists were taken to the site shortly after the inner vessel had been lowered earlier that month, during the tenure of Dr Baldev Raj, then Director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR).

The inner vessel is a critical component of the PFBR. It separates the hot and cold pools of liquid sodium and provides structural support and positional accuracy to the heat exchangers operating in the hot sodium pool.

The 500 MW PFBR — the first of its kind in India — has been designed by IGCAR and comprises three primary vessels: the safety vessel, the main vessel and the inner vessel. Together with other core systems, these form the backbone of the reactor, which marks the beginning of the second stage of India’s nuclear power programme.

Construction milestones were staggered over several years. The stainless steel safety vessel was installed in June 2008, followed by the lowering of the main vessel in December 2009. The thermal baffle — a 70-tonne component designed to extend the reactor’s operational life — was erected in May 2010, ahead of the installation of the inner vessel.

Designed by IGCAR scientists, the thermal baffle creates an annular passage for cold sodium to circulate and cool the main vessel. This is crucial because the reactor contains about 1,100 tonnes of liquid sodium at temperatures of around 550°C. The cooling system ensures that the main vessel temperature remains below 450°C during normal operations, thereby reducing the risks of creep, thermal fatigue and material embrittlement.

The PFBR is intended as a technological stepping stone, offering operational and engineering lessons as India plans a fleet of fast breeder reactors.

The technology places India among a small group of nations with fast breeder capability, building on early experimental success achieved in 1985. The Kalpakkam reactor operates on a closed fuel cycle, where spent fuel is reprocessed to extract fissile material and refabricated into plutonium-rich mixed carbide fuel. This approach is central to maximising energy output from limited uranium reserves while enabling the long-term use of India’s abundant thorium resources.

India’s three-stage nuclear programme, conceived by Homi Jehangir Bhabha, envisages a phased expansion of nuclear capacity. The first stage is based on natural uranium-fuelled pressurised heavy water reactors, which currently dominate the country’s nuclear fleet. The second stage — now entering a decisive phase with the PFBR — focuses on fast breeder reactors that can convert uranium-238 into plutonium and thorium into uranium-233, potentially scaling capacity to around 300 GW over time. The final stage aims to fully deploy thorium-based reactors, with projections of sustaining up to 1,000 GW for centuries.

Despite concerns among critics over the use of sodium coolant — which reacts vigorously with air and water — proponents argue that fast breeder reactors offer a pathway to more efficient fuel utilisation and a reduction in long-term radioactive waste.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2014/Jun/28/500-mw-kalpakkam-reactor-to-reach-criticality-629561.html

https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2010/Sep/21/lowering-of-inner-vessel-marks-another-milestone-188739.html

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writingonblog uncensored: Tamil Nadu tightens access to industrial LPG as Ce...

writingonblog uncensored: Tamil Nadu tightens access to industrial LPG as Ce...:   CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has moved to tighten oversight of industrial fuel consumption, mandating registration and fuel-switch readiness for ...

Tamil Nadu tightens access to industrial LPG as Centre raises allocation cap

 

CHENNAI:
Tamil Nadu has moved to tighten oversight of industrial fuel consumption, mandating registration and fuel-switch readiness for commercial users after the Centre raised allocations of subsidised LPG.

Following New Delhi’s decision to increase commercial LPG supplies to states and Union Territories to 50%—from an earlier 20%—the state industries department on Wednesday said that businesses would have to register with oil marketing companies (OMCs) to access the enhanced quota.

The move effectively links access to LPG with a transition pathway to piped natural gas (PNG), signalling a broader policy push to ease pressure on cylinder-based supplies amid ongoing shortages.

Under the new framework, commercial and industrial consumers must also enrol with city gas distribution (CGD) entities in their districts and demonstrate readiness to switch to PNG connections, where available. The dual-registration requirement is intended to prioritise firms willing to migrate to more stable, pipeline-based fuel systems.

The directive comes as authorities attempt to balance constrained LPG availability with industrial demand, particularly from small and medium enterprises that rely heavily on cylinders for operations.

Businesses across districts have been mapped to specific CGD operators.
Factfile:
North & Coastal Cluster
Chennai
Tiruvallur
Nagapattinam
Operator: Torrent Gas
Contact: 1800-2125-67890

North & Delta Extension
Kancheepuram
Chengalpattu
Ramanathapuram
Vellore
Ranipet
Tirupathur
Operator: AG&P Pratham
Contact: 1800-202-2999

Central–East Belt
Tiruppur
Cuddalore
Tiruvarur
Mayiladuthurai
Operator: Adani Total Gas
Contact: 079-4754-5252

Western & Southern Belt
Coimbatore
Salem
Dharmapuri
Krishnagiri
Madurai
Theni
Virudhunagar
Kanniyakumari
Thoothukudi
Tirunelveli
Tenkasi
Operator: Indian Oil Corporation
Contact: 1800-180-7788

Interior District Clusster:
Tiruvannamalai
Villupuram
Kallakurichi
Ariyalur
Perambalur
Pudukkottai
Sivagangai
Thanjavur
Dindigul
Karur
Operator: MEIL (Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited)
Contact: 1800-123-1803

Central TN
Tiruchirappalli
Namakkal
Operator: IRM Energy
1800-891-1310

Others:
Erode
The Nilgiris
Operator: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited
Contact: 1800-22-4344

writingonblog uncensored: Tamil Nadu’s electronics exports surge nearly nine...

writingonblog uncensored: Tamil Nadu’s electronics exports surge nearly nine...:     CHENNAI: Electronics exports from Tamil Nadu have surged nearly ninefold over four years, rising from $1.65bn in 2021 to $14.65bn in 2...