There’s no denying that if one were to opt for an electric car, the options in India are limited to the point of being disadvantageous for the buyer. You either buy this, that, or that. Nothing more. And now trouble seems to be brewing in this limited scope.
The matter first surfaced in February 2021 when the company was given the opportunity to counter complaints raised. When it comes to EVs, Delhi has for long been wanting to lead the charge where EV adoption is concerned. This translates into actual benefits for electric car buyers.
One is offered a purchase incentive of 10 grands per kWh of battery capacity. The max incentive is capped at Rs 1.5 lakhs and is available to the first 1,000 electric cars to be registered in Delhi. Additional benefits include Road Tax, and reg fee waivers. Under the Delhi EV incentive policy, Tata Nexon EV ZX+ was approved.
As is rampant in marketing material, and media information, Nexon EV single charge drive range is stated at 312 kms. A vehicle owner refuted the claim saying his car never provided a range of more than 200 kms. He did follow all advice offered by the dealership (Treo, Safdarjung Enclave) in question. No amount of effort resulted in range improvement. Tata Motors was issued a show cause notice, and a rep countered the matter at hand.
In short, Tata says the Tata Nexon EV got 312 kms on a single full charge during mandatory testing by ARAI. There’s no subjective representation of range of kms on a single charge. Its vehicle has a minimum range of 140 kms as per norm, which also serves as an eligibility criteria for said Policy. Actual range varies on independent factors including use of AC, driving pattern, real-time traffic conditions, and on-ground conditions, User familiarity with new tech is also mentioned. Tata Motors implies that as customers get familiar with the EV, results improve in 4-6 weeks.
Reasoning furnished by Tata Motors was found to be non-satisfactory. The body determined that while ARAI testing of 312 kms has value, it’s not sufficient to undermine the complainant’s result, which is based on actual and real time experience. ARAI isn’t responsible for granting each and every Tata unit will function optimally and the particular piece and model could be faulty.
Despite the situation having come to a head, Tata Motors hasn’t taken any corrective measure to disprove the component by involving any independent third party. A recent post on social media saw a Doc discuss the EVs range in an adverse manner. Which means, this is not an isolated incident, and the ruling body finds merit in the second complaint made by a responsible person in society.
In simple words, the ruling says, ‘Such a vehicle isn’t expected to perform in a manner, which isn’t in the interest of the very objective behind the said policy.’ Given the situation, the manufacturer can’t be allowed to benefit from the subsidy, as Tata Motor’s is essentially undermining it. The governing body’s stance is clear and looks to be safeguarding customer interest. As a conclusion, if strict action isn’t taken, general public maybe discouraged to rely on range claims made by OEMs. And this is a basic buyer expectation.
Complainants’ claims as well as assertions made by Tata Motors will now be verified by a specially constituted committee before a final decision is made. In the meantime, until a final report is pending, and to prevent further adverse fallout on the EV policy and its clearly outlined objectives, the situation necessitates the suspension of the Tata Nexon EV listing.
This post was last modified on March 11, 2021 7:15 am