[JS Kwt]

Tata Motors’ entire PV portfolio can go electric
says Shailesh Chandra, President – Passenger Vehicle Business Unit (PVBU) including EV, Tata Motors

As the Nexon EV, Tata’s first electric vehicle (EV) model powered by its Ziptron technology and aimed at the personal usage segment gains ground, the OEM sees the EV drive to get only bigger.

The Nexon EV’s real-world driving range of over 200km per charge is seen as a key factor for its market performance, in addition to the fact that it falls in the most favourable SUV segment.

“Today the Nexon EV is able to deliver that and that's why it is in the sweet spot today as far as that segment is concerned.

Similarly, the Safari and HBX would be launched later on. All these will be candidates for electric as far as our entire portfolio is concerned.
So, our entire portfolio can go electric,” Shailesh Chandra, President – PVBU, Tata Motors tells Autocar Professional

Tata Motors’ new platforms on which sit the current range of passenger vehicles (PV) already have been designed to support electrification.

The ‘piggy backing’ approach has been taken to allow the OEM develop EVs with relatively lesser investments.

However, as the EV industry evolves Tata Motors could develop EVs on dedicated platforms.

“As the market evolves, as the scale increases, as the technology prices of electric vehicles come down you would definitely like to go for more efficient products on dedicated platforms,” says Chandra.

A large part of Chandra’s bet on EVs is also influenced by multiple factors, with deteriorating air quality in many cities across India being a key one. “The first and biggest driver as far as India is concerned is that you have 14 out of the 15 most polluted cities of the world in India, where you have an issue of 75 to 80 percent of dependence on oil through imports. And then the whole energy security issue. All these points towards a greater urgency as far as electrification as far as India is concerned,” he says.

With the Central, and many state governments also devising policies to adopt electric mobility, industry players like Tata Motors stand to benefit.

The critical scale is still some time away though. Addressing challenges like charging infrastructure, higher acquisition cost compared to ICE vehicles, and creating more consumer awareness about the new technology will be crucial to pave the way for a better drive for the EV industry.

To watch the full interview with Shailesh Chandra, click on

https://youtu.be/7gP5wkSBaRg

Source

[Thilak29]

As part of the interview he also suggests it is difficult to launch a hatch at desirable price point and I believe he is hinting a delay or cancel of plans to launch Altroz EV

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

As part of the interview he also suggests it is difficult to launch a hatch at desirable price point and I believe he is hinting a delay or cancel of plans to launch Altroz EV

Too bad if they drop Altroz EV. Hatchbacks need EV more than other body types because hatchbacks are bought mostly by people on tight budget and running costs are very important to them. Heck, even the rich are feeling the pinch of fuel prices. TaMo could have been been the first with a proper contemporary EV hatch.