Tata unveils India’s first electric SUV

The Indian manufacturer Tata Motors has introduced the electric version of its SUV model Nexon for the domestic market, which has a range of more than 300 kilometers and can be pre-ordered immediately. The market launch is planned for next month.

The Tata Nexon will be reserved with an initial deposit of INR 21,000, and is available in three variants. The final prices are expected to be around the INR 14-17 lakh range (From 17,700€ to 21,500€).  The Nexon can go from 0-60 km/h in 4.6 seconds, with 100 km/h reached in 9.9 seconds. The exact range has yet to be specified, beyond the 300 km the manufacturer has marketed. The motor produces up to 245 Nm torque, drawing power from a high capacity 30.2 kWh lithium-ion battery for the 129 PS permanent-magnet AC motor.

Charging from 0 to 80 per cent can be done in about 60 minutes using a DC fast charger, or 8 hours on a standard AC charger (from 20% to 100%). However, the electric SUV will not be available everywhere on launch, as Tata Motors has decided to focus on specific markets rather than allaying India as a whole: “We are not going pan-India with the retails of Nexon EV. We have identified 22 micro markets and cities with 48 outlets supporting it. These markets will be our focus to begin with,” said Shailesh Chandra, president electric mobility and corporate strategy.

Tata has been working hard lately to bring electric vehicle technology to India, which has suffered harshly under pollution in major cities. The company has been setting up charging stations across the nation, with additional focus on major cities and the state of Maharashtra.

“After introducing our cutting-edge EV technology, Ziptron, we are thrilled to unveil the first EV featuring this technology – The Nexon EV,” said Tata Motors CEO & MD Guenter Butschek, before adding: “This is a high performance, connected vehicle that is uniquely suited to address the aspirations of Indian customers and break all barriers for EV adoption.”

indianautosblog.com, businessinsider.in, tatamotors.com, livemint.com