Tata Motors is soon to field its electric vehicles in the mainstream car market starting with the Tigor. Anoop Balakrishnan has spotted a test drive unit of the Tata Tigor EV at a dealership in Kochi. So far, the Tigor electric car fleets are being operated select public sector institutions under EESL (Energy Efficiency Service Limited).
While majority of initial demand for the Tigor EV will come from the governments (both, state and central) which are actively working on reducing their CO2 footprint and fleet operators (corporates, self-drive rentals, and taxi aggregators), more and more individual buyers are expected to embrace zero emission vehicles in due course.
The Tata Tigor EV looks pretty much similar to the conventional IC-powered model with the EV decals on the front doors being the only exception. If the test drive unit is anything to go by, Tata will not be offering the EV variant in top-end trim. This particular example lacks fog lamps, chrome applique on the secondary air dam, projector headlamps, turn indicators on ORVM housings, and dual-tone alloy wheels (comes with simpler alloy wheel design).
The interior too will be carried over from the regular Tigor variants but there will be blue trims scattered across the cabin to mark its zero emission credentials. The Tigor EV showcased at the Auto Expo featured a Harman infotainment system with a small screen that supports turn-by-turn navigation through smartphone connectivity but we expect the market ready version to employ a touchscreen display.
The Tigor EV is powered by three-phase AC induction motor rated at 30 kW (40.3 hp). Torque output has not been made public yet but the electric compact sedan has a claimed top-speed of 100 kmph. The current comes from a 216 Ah (72V) Li-ion battery pack which takes about 6 hours to achieve full charge via a regular AC socket. The sedan can also use a DC fast charger to achieve 80% charge in 90 minutes.
Word around the dealerships is the Tata Tigor EV could carry a price tag of around Rs 13 lakhs but it is unclear whether it is on-road or ex-showroom price. We are not sure if this amount is inclusive of the FAME-II subsidy or not. Tata Motors would also launch the Tiago EV in the foreseeable future to take on the upcoming Maruti WagonR EV.
