Apart from this, the Tata Nexon EV will also be launched in the market on April 20 with a longer range version, although its price will also increase. But the question arises, will Tata Motors introduce an entry-level Tata EV in the coming years?
Also the question is, is Tata Motors ready to offer a lower range EV at a more affordable price point? The Chairman of Passenger Vehicles Business Unit of Tata Motors, Shailesh Chandra has given information about this during an interview.
He added that “When developing Ziptron, when we did the survey, we focused specifically on the level of range below which the customer would have range concerns and that range is 200 km.” Of course, that 200km range is not the ARAI-certified or lab-tested range figure that Tata is aiming for.
This is the real-world range that the EV will easily deliver, no matter what driving condition you’re driving the car in. Tata Motors currently sells the Tigor EV and the Nexon EV in the market and both can offer a range of more than 200 km.
Shailesh Chandra said that “You will see that, although we will come up with a high-end EV, people will still buy low-range cars. This is because the range figure is directly related to the battery size and the battery size is still there. is also a significant portion of the cost of a new EV.”
He adds that “EVs with smaller batteries may offer less range, but making them more affordable for the average consumer is relatively easy.” Also, electric cars costing more than Rs 15 lakh are not covered under the FAME-II scheme of the central government or incentives from the state government.
The current Tata Nexon EV barely gets subsidized with its base variant priced at Rs 14.54 lakh (ex-showroom). The carmaker may plan to use smaller (30kWh and less) battery packs and possibly build a more compact body style.
The development of the platform increases the cost of the EV. The Tata Curvv is based on the Generation 2 platform, with an under-floor battery and a well-integrated electric vehicle architecture. Tata also has a Ziptron powertrain that underpins the existing EV, Nexon EV and Tigor EV.