Tata Sons is in talks with a number of startups as it seeks technical know-how for its £4 billion ($5.1 billion) UK battery plant, which it hopes to open in 2026.

"If you look at the startups that are working in this space, they are at the forefront of technology," said P.B. Balaji, Chief Financial Officer of Tata Motors Group, in an interview in Mumbai. "It's a jumble of possibilities." "We're talking to a lot of them," he said.

According to Balaji, the collaborations for the battery plant, which will be capable of supplying cells for at least 500,000 vehicles per year, could range from a joint venture and knowledge sharing to experimentation and licensing agreements.

Tata plans to collaborate with partners "across the entire pathway from cell chemistry to manufacturing to industrialization," he says. The conglomerate is speaking with several companies involved in various stages of the value chain — R&D, manufacturing innovation, and refining — and plans to make an announcement soon after narrowing the options.

The factory is a boon for the UK auto industry, which has struggled in the aftermath of Brexit and the transition to electric vehicles. Last year, the UK produced 775,000 cars, the fewest since 1965, as a result of the global semiconductor crunch and the closure of some factories.