An Overview
Tata Motors Limited has finally unveiled the Nexon EV ahead of its 2020 launch. Formerly known as Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO), they are an Indian multinational automobile manufacturer, and part of the Tata group. Their products include passenger cars, commercial vehicles, construction equipment and military vehicles.
Founded in 1945 as a locomotive builder, the Tata group stepped into automobile manufacturing after a joint-venture with Daimler Benz. They built a name and reputation in commercial vehicle manufacturing, and in 1991, entered the passenger car market by producing India’s first-ever SUV called the Sierra. It was followed by the Estate, Sumo and the Safari in 1998.
The last two decades have seen Tata rise steadily in the passenger car segment with the longest-running models that the Indian market has seen. All their automobiles are manufactured under the division – Tata Motors Cars. They are among the top four-passenger vehicle brands in the country with manufacturing units in Jamshedpur, Pune, Lucknow, Pantnagar, Dharwad and Sanand. Their dealership, service and the spare part network covers more than 3,500 customer touch-points all across India, in almost two hundred cities and twenty-seven states and UTs.
Tata Nexon compact SUV
In 2017, they launched their first-ever compact SUV Nexon, which was very well received in the Indian market and has clocked impressive sales figures over the last two years.
Nexon EV
Two days ago, Tata motors cars officially revealed the electric variant of the Nexon in India, a little before its official launch scheduled in Q1 in the year 2020. It will be Tata Motors’ second electric offering after the Tigor EV. It will also be the first compact SUV under 4 metres with an electric powertrain. With the launch of the Nexon EV, the company has also introduced its Ziptron powertrain. It comprises a permanent magnet AC motor which draws its power from a 30 kWh battery pack and produces 129 PS of power and 245 Nm of torque.
Efficiency
The company has claimed that the vehicle is capable of pulling over 300 km and more on a single charge. The car also uses regenerative braking, which is a system that helps store the energy generated during decelerating via application of brakes. The battery supports fast charging which allows it to be quickly boosted from zero to eighty per cent of electric charge in just under an hour. It can also be charged via a 15A plug point and gets an eight-year or 1,60,000 km warranty from the company.
Performance
The Nexon EV is capable of doing zero to sixty kilometres an hour in just 4.7 seconds and up to a hundred kilometres an hour in 9.9 seconds. The powertrain gets two drive modes – Eco and Sport. As the name suggests, the Eco mode is for effective commuting through city traffic and lays stress on maximum battery utilisation with the minimum power usage. The Sport mode unlocks the full potential of the PMAC motor and may reduce the range a little since its prime focus is power delivery.
Styling
The car gets fresh new design elements which it will share with the Internal combustion engine variant as well. The front fascia carries the same design language as the Harrier and shows off a sleek new grille, flanked on either side by thin projector headlamps with DRLs. Directly under it are the new aggressively styled fog-lamps, which give the front face a much meaner look. The car gets brand new eight-spoke dual-tone alloy wheels and restyled LED taillamps.
Interiors
The interiors are practically the same as its internal combustion variant, with a few design upgrades to give it a little zing. It gets the Altroz’s three-spoke steering wheel, seven-inch infotainment display and the multi-coloured vital information counter. The drive-mode selector knob in the combustion-engine version becomes the gear selector in the electric. Cabin space and ergonomics remain unchanged since the EV is marketed as a different drive-train variant and not as a separate model altogether.
Other exciting features that are mostly shared between the combustion-engine variant and the EV are Tata’s connected next car technology includes thirty connect-features, cruise control, Apple car play, android auto, climate control, a Harman-Kardon surround sound system, keyless entry with push-start button and the two fore-mentioned drive modes. Safety features are standard and include dual airbags, Antilock braking with EBD, ISOFIX, hill holding, hill descent control, rear parking sensors and a rearview camera, a high-speed alert and seat-belt warning for both driver and front passenger.
Pricing and booking amount
The Nexon EV is being offered in three variants, namely the XM, XZ+ and the XZ+LUX. Pricing can be expected to range between INR 15 lacs to INR 17 lacs. Bookings have already commenced, and the next slot can be yours for INR 21,000. Although the Government of India has declared many subsidies on loan and purchase of electric vehicles, it is essential to know which ones would be applicable and redeemable this early.
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