In terms of electric mobility, India’s automotive industry is still at an infant stage. However, stricter emission norms have forced auto manufacturers to focus on electric vehicles for the future. In the current scenario, widespread adoption of electric vehicles can only happen in the scooter market because of the affordability and feasibility of batteries. However, last year was a benchmark for electric vehicles in cars when the first production EV was launched in the Indian market in the form of Hyundai Kona and towards the end of the year, two manufacturers added their products in the EV segment as well. MG and Tata revealed their respective EVs- ZS EV and Nexon EV in December 2019 and officially launched them in January 2020.
Among all three, the Tata Nexon EV has been the most accessible electric car in India. Upon its launch earlier this year, the Nexon had received positive feedback from the consumers. Amidst the struggling period in March 2020, Tata Motors sold an appreciable 198 Nexon EV units. In comparison, MG Motors managed to sell 116 units of the much more expensive and bigger ZS EV. That’s a difference of 82 units while Hyundai Kona EV sales for the month stood at 14 units.
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Just like Tata Nexon, Hyundai is also working on a subcompact electric crossover with a target price range of Rs 10-15 lakh ex-showroom. Unlike the Hyundai Kona and MG ZS EV, the Tata Nexon EV was mostly developed in India, for India. Another interesting point to note is that Tata Motors achieved this while facing one of the biggest sales declines in recent history.
The Tata Nexon EV was launched in three variants with prices starting from Rs 13.99 lakh to Rs 15.99 lakh, ex-showroom. Tata sells the SUV right now in only a few cities in India. The claimed range is 321 km whereas the charging time is reported as 80 per cent in one hour with a fast charger. Deliveries of the SUV started sometime in March. The 2020MY Nexon EV is the first product from Tata Motors’ electric portfolio to be powered by the ‘Ziptron powertrain’. This couples a permanent-magnet AC motor to a 30.2kWh lithium-ion IP67-certified battery pack and together they generate an output figure of 127 bhp of power and 245 NM of torque with an ARAI claimed range of 312 km. The Nexon EV will soon get a direct rival in the form of the eKUV100 which is expected to be launched later this year in the same price bracket.