TCS becomes title sponsor of Jaguar Formula E racing team

The team will be known as Jaguar TCS Racing.

is already active in this space through its Mahindra Formula E racing team. The ABB FIA Formula E Championship is an electric street racing series and the world’s first fully electric international single-seater category in motorsport.

TCS and Jaguar will create a dynamic platform during the multi-year partnership that will drive research and innovation for high performance luxury electric vehicle technologies.

ETtech

This is TCS’ second foray into motorsports. In 2017, it was the title sponsor of the Japanese team Nakajima Racing as part of the Japanese Super Formula Championship. “We are delighted to expand our partnership with Jaguar Land Rover and join forces as Jaguar TCS Racing to harness collective knowledge and to innovate for a sustainable future for all,” TCS CEO Rajesh Gopinathan said in a statement. “As the world races towards electrification, this collaboration will pave the way for adoption of advanced technologies, utilisation of cleaner energy, and the evolution of novel business models.”

Susheel Vasudevan, executive vice president and global head of manufacturing at TCS, told ET that the IT services provider will work on sustainable solutions to improve efficiency and reduce vehicle weight.

“Globally, we are using our product engineering expertise to build and test battery management systems for OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), cell neutralisation, battery health, battery performance management on cloud, as well as hydrogen fuel cells, among many others.” Vasudevan said. In the EV space, the Tata Group firm is working on direct-to-consumer experience management, supply chain management and charging infrastructure solutions, he added.

With only 87 days left for the start of the new season, Jaguar TCS Racing is also simulating the new qualifying system and practicing in-garage pit stops, which will become a significant feature of the first 10 minutes of the new format.

Thierry Bolloré, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover and chairman of JLR Motorsport, said: “I would like to extend my welcome to Tata Consultancy Services. This partnership is a perfect example of the synergies that exist within the Tata Group.”

JLR and TCS are long standing partners, collaborating on various fronts since 2012. TCS has an existing engagement with JLR in product engineering, infrastructure, global manufacturing plant operations, enterprise systems, digital and cloud solutions.

“It’s an announcement we’ve been looking forward to revealing and this is an exciting time to see a global leader like TCS joining other blue-chip brands in FIA Formula E,” said James Barclay, team principal at Jaguar TCS Racing. “After our most successful season to date, we have been working hard to improve further on our performance with the aim to race for more points, wins and ultimately the world championship.”

TCS’ foray into Formula E racing adds to its global portfolio of sports sponsorships which include TCS New York City Marathon, TCS London Marathon and TCS Amsterdam Marathon. The company builds and manages technology solutions for these events, including the official race app.