Having firmly established itself as the leader in India’s electric passenger vehicle market, Tata Motors has today announced its all-time electric vehicle (EV) production has crossed the 1 lakh units milestone. The most recent 50,000 EVs were produced in the last nine months alone, says the carmaker. At present, Tata Motors is the only Indian carmaker to offer a fully-electric powertrain across three different body styles in the passenger vehicle space – hatchback (Tiago EV), sedan (Tigor EV) and SUV (Nexon EV). Tata also retails the Xpres-T, which is the Tigor EV repurposed for fleet buyers. At present, Tata’s EVs retail between Rs 8.69 lakh to Rs 19.29 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom, excluding state subsidies).
Also Read: Tata Nexon EV Crosses 50,000 Units Sales Milestone In Less Than 4 Years Since Launch
The Nexon EV has been India's best-selling EV since its launch in 2020.
At the announcement of the milestone, Tata Motors MD Shailesh Chandra reminisced about the start of the EV journey for Tata Motors, which began with the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) tender floated by the Indian government, leading to the creation of the original Tigor EV. In 2018, Tata was rolling out 100 EVs a month. It took Tata 44 months – or just under four years – to cross the 10,000 EVs mark. In 2023, that number has risen to 10,000 EVs a month; a 100-fold increase in uptake.
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This rapid increase was catalysed by the arrival of the Nexon EV in 2020. Based on the capable sub-compact SUV, the Nexon EV has firmly established itself – and its maker, in the process – as India’s leading choice when it comes to EVs. The Nexon EV accounts for a substantial number of all Tata EVs sold till date, and its momentum received further impetus with the introduction of the upgraded Tigor EV in 2021, and the Tiago EV in 2022. The Tiago EV, at the time of its launch, was India’s most affordable electric car, and has been witnessing strong demand. Tata also recently became the first passenger vehicle firm to receive the automotive PLI certificate in the four-wheeler category by ARAI for the Tiago EV.
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The Tiago EV is one of just two battery-powered passenger vehicles on sale in India with a sub-Rs 10 lakh starting price.
Tata highlighted the importance of subsidy support for EVs from states. In Maharashtra, before subsidies, Tata sold around 100 EVs a month, but when state subsidies (which rose to as high as Rs 2.50 lakh per vehicle) were rolled out, that figure leapt to 950 units a month. Once the subsidies were exhausted, the monthly sales in the state settled at 700 units, but they played a key role in reinforcing faith in EVs and driving adoption.
The company believes India’s EV market will grow to one million units a year by 2028, with 20 per cent of all passenger vehicles being sold having a battery-electric powertrain. To reach this target, Tata says the country needs a wider range of EVs to choose from, a vast (and readily accessible) charging infrastructure, continued government support in the form of subsidies till EVs make up 20 per cent of all passenger vehicle sales.
Tata Motors has previously announced its plans to launch 10 new EVs by 2025. These will include some models that are expected to debut over the next six to eight months, including the Harrier EV, Punch EV and Curvv coupe-SUV.
