Electrification is considered the future of transportation across the globe, and it's come as a pleasant surprise that India is at the forefront of this mobility revolution. With homegrown players taking some giant leaps in this space, our conversion to an electrified and sustainable auto sector doesn't seem too far. And leading the charge here has been Tata Motors that's retailing India's most successful electric vehicle - the Nexon EV. Tata Motors can be credited with making a valiant effort towards "mainstreaming" electric vehicles in India.
The Nexon EV went on sale in early 2020 and has been a brisk seller ever since its arrival in the market
Launched in 2020, the Tata Nexon EV arrived as India's most accessible electric vehicle and remains the market leader offering a value package. To be fair, it's the Tata Tigor EV that is presently India's most accessible electric offering but the car is majorly available to fleet and government segments.
This brings us to the Tata Nexon EV that's managed to outsell all of its rivals twofold since its launch. As of April 2021, the automaker sold over 4,500 units of the SUV. Tata registered the first 1000 sales in seven months, while the next 1000 units arrived three months later in November last year. The past four months have seen Tata retail an additional 2500 units. Fun fact, doctors and entrepreneurs have been a big chunk of the Nexon EV's customer base.
The Tata Nexon EV is built on the same platform as its ICE version, which secured a 5-star rating in the Global NCAP crash tests
It's also interesting to note that Tata Motors managed to introduce its first electric vehicle based on the same platform as the ICE version. The Nexon EV shares its underpinnings with the petrol and diesel version, which helps retain all of the model's salient bits including space, features and even the safety standards. The Nexon ICE variant is, after all, a 5-star car under the Global NCAP safety ratings. The Nexon EV also gets Tata Motors ZConnect (powered by iRA) connected car technology that brings 35 additional connected-car features including remote start, location tracking, What3Words, vehicle diagnostics and more. The Tata Nexon EV is powered by indigenous high-voltage ZIPTRON technology comprising of IP 67 rated battery pack and motor.
When Tata announced its EV vertical in 2019, it did reveal that the brand's future products would be developed under a modular architecture that can support different drivetrain options. The new ALFA and OMEGA architectures stand testimony to this and promise to spawn a host of exciting new all-electric options in the future. We've also had a glimpse at this with the Altroz EV that was showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo.
The Nexon EV is powered by a 30.2 kWh battery and offers an ARAI certified range of 312 km on a single charge
What Tata has managed to achieve then isn't just developing electric vehicles, but products that are practical, likeable and potent to live with on a day-to-day basis. These were some of the long-standing barriers that deterred customers from owning an EV in the past. The Nexon EV proves to be more car-like, which happens to run on electricity. With an ARAI certified range of 312 km on a single charge, the Nexon EV is good for commuting as well as intercity travel plans. The real-world range though does differ slightly depending on the driving conditions. Nevertheless, range anxiety has been dealt with, given the charging time of 60 minutes from 0-80 per cent using a fast charger.
And to make fast chargers more accessible, Tata is helping create the ecosystem for its customers. The automaker's sister brand Tata Power has been working on setting up the charging infrastructure across the country. The company has the country's largest network of fast chargers with over 456 charging stations in 92 cities, as well as several intercity routes across India. The Tata Power app also helps you locate the charging stations making this journey easier. In addition to this, the company plans to scale up its charging network to 2500 chargers by FY22.
The running cost of the Nexon EV is just 25% when compared to a typical ICE vehicle
It's no surprise that electric vehicles are cheaper to live with. Tata says that the Nexon EV's running cost is approximately 25 per cent of a typical ICE vehicle. An 8 years/1.6 lakh km battery and motor warranty also add to the peace of mind ownership experience, while Tata Power sets up a home charging station for every Nexon EV buyer. Add to that, there are fewer moving parts on an electric vehicle, which make the maintenance costs negligible.
The Tata Nexon EV will remain the benchmark for a long time when we talk about a value-friendly electric offering. With prices starting at Rs. 13.99 lakh, going up to Rs. 16.56 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom), the SUV is nearly Rs. 7 lakh cheaper than its next closest rival. The big question then is, are you ready to be a part of the electric revolution?
