ElectraEV has been developing various innovative offerings for the evolving electric mobility ecosystem
Ratan Tata is one of the most admired industrialists in the country, thanks to his rich history of philanthropy and visionary approach. Tata Group is one of the leading conglomerates to invest in various startups in India. Not just the company but Ratan Tata himself has invested in a few promising startups in his personal capacity as well.
One of the most prominent ones is ElectraEV which was founded by Ratan Tata himself. The Pune-based EV startup is responsible for developing powertrains, battery management systems and other EV-related technologies for Tata Motors as well as other OEMs.
While massive push has been given to development and manufacture of new electric vehicles, retrofitting of old IC engine-powered models is also gaining momentum in recent times. ElectraEV is also working on the latter in order to expand its reach wider. Recently, the firm took to social media to declare a retrofitting of an EV powertrain into an IC engine car.
Tata Nano Electric – Retrofitted Powertrain
The retrofitting was performed on a Nano which belongs to none other than Ratan Tata himself. The EV startup also posted a picture of the business tycoon standing alongside his custom-built Nano Electric which wore a green license plate.
No cosmetic updates have been carried out in the stock Nano. The post also mentions that the electric Nano has been retrofitted with a powertrain featuring a 72V battery pack. No other details regarding specs of the electric motor and performance figures have been shared by ElectraEV.
ElectraEV offers a wide range of battery options ranging from 48V to 750V. All these Lithium-Ion Battery (LIB) packs from the firm have been tested as per AIS 048 and certified by ARAI. The LIB packs can operate at a wide range of temperatures ranging from sub-zero to 55-degree celsius (drive).
Other details
Battery packs from EV use force chill air-cooled technology and integrate through an intelligent programmable BMS utilizing CAN communication network. Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery packs from ElectraEV currently in use in India extend from 16.6 kWh to 21.6 kWh, thus enabling 200 to 213 KM driving range on a full charge. The electrified Nano should also offer a range of around 200km on a single charge.
These battery packs are currently used in Neo and Xpres-T EV, the latter is essentially a Tigor EV specifically designed for fleet consumers. The facelifted Tigor EV now utilises a more premium and more powerful Ziptron technology which is also used in Tata Nexon EV. Hopefully, this will set the right precedent for people to retrofit their old IC engine-powered vehicles with new electric powertrains.