Tata Motors, ToneTag set new benchmark in in-car payment experience

What is DrivePay?

DrivePay is nothing short of a revolution that Tata Motors had introduced in 2025 with the launch of Harrrier.ev. It is an all-in-one, UPI-powered payment solution that was built directly into the Harrier.ev’s infotainment system. It was India’s first in-car payment system that helped Harrier owners to pay for EV charging (after locating it), manage FASTag and make UPI payment. DrivePay revolutionised seamless, secure payments to your car’s dashboard. There was no need for a phone, or app, or QR code.

In the year 2026, DrivePay got a voice, thanks to ToneTag innovation. This new feature has been incorporated in the Tata Sierra.ev. Natively integrated into the Sierra.ev’s infotainment system, DrivePay has now introduced voice led commerce, enabling drivers to place orders from their favourite cafes and recharge FASTag accounts through voice commands, while also allowing them to discover payment ready charging stations along their route through the vehicle interface, all without switching apps or interrupting their journey.

Voice commerce at the core of connected mobility

The most distinctive capability in DrivePay’s Sierra.ev integration is its new voice-led commerce layer, introduced as an add on to its existing in-car payments ecosystem. Designed to make transactions more seamless, intuitive, and hands free, the feature enables drivers to discover and act on relevant services in real time, whether it is ordering from nearby cafes or managing FASTag recharges, all directly through the infotainment interface. By turning voice intent into action, DrivePay extends contextual commerce beyond payments into a more intelligent in-car experience.

FASTag Recharge similarly brings recharge functionality directly into the vehicle interface, allowing drivers to top up balances without interrupting their journey. With merchant ordering now enabled as part of the voice led layer, with Blue Tokai Coffee as the first integration, DrivePay is expanding the scope of in-car commerce. Across these voice enabled use cases, convenience remains contextual, powered by the vehicle’s awareness of destination and driver intent, says a ToneTag press note.

Beyond voice led interactions, DrivePay’s EV charging capability continues to follow the same contextual design principle--Displays nearby charging stations in real time, surfaces payment-ready charging stations filtered by charging capacity and journey relevance. By combining discovery, filtering, and payment within the vehicle interface, it reduces the planning effort often associated with charging stops and shortens the decision loop for EV users.

“The launch of the Sierra.ev marks a significant step forward in our commitment to customer-first mobility solutions. With DrivePay, we have addressed a key user pain point by simplifying charging and related payments directly from the vehicle. The expansion of the platform with new features in the Sierra.ev further enhances convenience and reinforces our focus on delivering meaningful connected-car experiences for our users. We are confident that innovations such as DrivePay will continue to raise the benchmark for connected mobility solutions in India,” said Sven Patuschka, Chief Technology Officer, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd.

“At ToneTag, we have always believed that the future of payments lies in becoming invisible, contextual and deeply embedded into everyday experiences. Mobility is emerging as one of the most important frontiers in that evolution, where vehicles are no longer just modes of transport but intelligent connected ecosystems. With DrivePay on the Sierra.ev, we are taking a significant step towards redefining how consumers interact with the world around them from inside the car itself,” said Vivek Kumar Singh, Co-Founder and Director - Labs, ToneTag.

So will the year 2027 and beyond be better years in terms of technology innovations. Of course, I can bet my last buck on that. Today’s it’s just fast charge and a cup of coffee, tomorrow, you can order a lot more in Tata cars. The company is evaluating future expansion of their capabilities into additional categories such as QSRs (quick service restaurants), fuel payments, and hyperlocal commerce.

For those who have yet to catch up with our fast-paced world, a quick service restaurant is a food outlet that offers fast, efficient service with a limited menu of popular items, such as burgers, pizzas, wraps, and beverages. These restaurants focus on speed, affordability, and convenience, making them ideal for India’s fast-paced urban lifestyle.

And of course, there is always the very important question every sensible person is bound to ask. Are these transactions through DrivePay safe? The company claims that in order to support this ecosystem, DrivePay is built with robust encryption, secure authentication layers, and strict compliance-driven safeguards, ensuring that all in-car transactions remain highly secure and friction-free. Should we now order the coffee?