Jamshedpur, July 30 : As part of its sustainability initiative, Tata Steel has tied up with an Indian startup to pursue the deployment of Electric Vehicles (EVs) for the transportation of its steel. This will be the first-ever deployment of EVs by any steel producer in the country for the transportation of finished steel. Tata Steel has contracted 27 EVs, each with a carrying capacity 35 tonnes of steel (minimum capacity). The company plans to deploy 15 EVs at its Jamshedpur plant and 12 at its Sahibabad plant. The first set of EVs for Tata Steel are being put in operation between Tata Steel BSL's Sahibabad plant and the Pilkhuwa Stockyard in Uttar Pradesh. At a virtual ceremony held on July 29, Tata Steel formally flagged-off the loaded vehicle at the Pilkhuwa Stockyard to move to the Sahibabad plant, which is 38 km away. Dibyendu Bose, Vice President (Supply Chain), Tata Steel, said on the occasion: "It is a great occasion for us today as we are launching EVs to move steel on J.R.D. Tata's 117th birth anniversary. This initiative is aimed at reduction of green-house gas emissions and will help protect the environment in the long run." The EVs being deployed comprise a 2.2 tonne and 230.4 kWh Lithium ion battery pack with a sophisticated cooling system and a battery management system giving it capability to operate at ambient temperatures of up to 60-degree Celsius. The battery pack would be powered by a 160 kWh charger setup which would be able to charge the battery from 0 to 100 per cent in 90 minutes. With zero tail-pipe emission, each EV would reduce the green-house gas footprint by more than 125 tCO2e every year. /IANS