Tata Motors to Manufacture Affordable Electric-Vehicles

Tata Motors has now manufactured electric versions of the Tigor sedan that has a range of 312km single-charge, which has a cost of more than Rs 9.6 lakh in Delhi. Another EV is the Nexon SUV, which has a range of 312km on a single charge and has been priced more than Rs 14 lakh in Delhi.

Tata Motors has announced its future plans around affordable electric mobility and said that it plans to produce its green cars at a price not more than 15-20 higher than the conventional petrol and diesel vehicles. It has also planned to offer a battery range at least in excess of 200 km on a single charge. This statement came soon after a high demand for products like Tata Tiago mini, Tata Nexon compact SUV and Tata Altroz hatch. The brand is confident that its overall monthly sales will be at least in excess of 22,000 units, making the company its third position behind Hyundai and Maruti.

In a discussion with TOI, Shailesh Chandra, president of Tata Motors passenger vehicles business unit said that the brand coming back to the third position in the Indian market has not happened by accident. They have recorded that the sales value touched the highest mark in the past eight years during the last few months. As a result, the company gained nearly 300 basis points (100bps = 1 percentage point) in market share, which levelled up from around 4.7 per cent last year to about 7.7 per cent now. He was confident that with the same pace the company will reach 10 per cent share soon with new products. Therefore, the company is working on getting in newer products and focusing more on its electric space.

Chandra said that Tata Motors and group companies such as Tata AutoComp (battery packs for EVs), Tata Power (for charging infra), and Tata Chemicals (lithium-ion battery cells) are together working to provide an eco-system for people looking to buy electric cars. He said that electric vehicles are the main focus of the company. In the last three years, the brand has successfully managed to establish themselves as frontrunners in the EV market. Tata Motors has now manufactured electric versions of the Tigor sedan that has a range of 312km single-charge, which has a cost of more than Rs 9.6 lakh in Delhi. Another EV is the Nexon SUV, which has a range of 312km on a single charge and has been priced more than Rs 14 lakh in Delhi. It is also being said that the brand will launch electric versions of the Altroz, as well as, the Harrier SUV.

According to Chandra, volumes have begun to come in as there are more practical benefits of these EVs. If a person drives 10,000-12,000 km on a yearly basis, then they will save over Rs 50,000 on operating costs. After four years, they can save around Rs 2.5 lakh than what they would have spent on petrol or a diesel car. With decent performance and additional assurances such as an 8-year or 1.6 lakh km warranty on the battery as well as the motor means that the brand is ahead of its rivals. There is a possibility that Tata is now working on a complete range of only-electric vehicles that will be seen in the market in the upcoming years.