[ashutoshb]

Great news indeed! It would be better if they keep the GenX for commercial and the Pelican for private buyers.

That might prevent the taxi tag from hurting the brand.

The Pelican was a step in the right direction, I hope they complete the project, with the electric vehicle.

[Nissan1180]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Tata to introduce Nano EV later this year.

If this is true, I will really be grateful to the heads of the company. If priced well, this car has the potential to become the best EV in the subcontinent and achieve what it deserved. No longer will folks who did not own it be able to berate it for the engine, fuel economy, 'oddball looks' or the lack of innovation

Tata managed to squeeze un a CNG tank under the seat. I am sure they will be able to get the batteries in without ruining interuor space.

[arjab]

The diminutive Nano is ideally configured to take on an EV avatar. Rear engined, rear wheel drive, leaving copious amounts of space to package the batteries and electric motors.
In fact, many years back, I think it was around 2010, (apologies for feeble memory), when the Nano Europa was conceptualised, an EV powertrain was also considered as a part of packaging.
TML has more than enough engineering depth and skills to launch a Nano EV with a 300kms range. The problem is cost, hence the motors may be toned down to produce a lesser range for a more amenable sticker price.

Please remember anything above ₹4.5lakhs on road retail for Nano will not sell, however good the product may be. Not that people cannot afford, but the plain and simple fact that they will never pay that much for a "Nano" - such is the brand perception! Stick on a global OEM's badge and it would move out of showrooms like hot samosa's

Another mistake which I feel Mr Pareekh and his band of merry men are doing is to offer the EV Nano as a taxi fleet option. Whatever little hope of salvaging the image of the brand will weaken further if one see's hundreds of Nano's trundling around town with App Cabs stickers pasted on it!

Why not offer it , even if it.means at a discounted price to Bollywood celebrities, Indian Cricket and football stars and even senior government officials? This could be the ideal example of "Make in India" as well as " Swachh Bharat" !!

Whatever it is, my good wishes for the Little Car for its final iteration before TML switches to its AMP, front wheel drive and Nano - 2.
The Lilliput never got the success it deserved. Let's hope this can be it's swansong!

[sreeharipv]

A nano should be able to get a combined mileage of 8 km per kWh. 1 kWh at battery pack level would cost no less than 200 USD. That means 160 km is no less than 20 kWh.

So the battery pack alone costs = 200 USD x 20 = 4000 USD (260000 INR) for what it is worth.

But if they can launch a 250 km (with AC and everything) variant, they can potentially disrupt the ride sharing market by paying for themselves from saved fuel cost.

[srishiva]

Originally Posted by sreeharipv

A nano should be able to get a combined mileage of 8 km per kWh. 1 kWh at battery pack level would cost no less than 200 USD. That means 160 km is no less than 20 kWh.

So the battery pack alone costs = 200 USD x 20 = 4000 USD (260000 INR) for what it is worth.

But if they can launch a 250 km (with AC and everything) variant, they can potentially disrupt the ride sharing market by paying for themselves from saved fuel cost.

Thanks for the calculation. But Nano was supposed to be a 1 lakh car ! Now remove the petroleum engine related parts and add the above with motor. Should be within 4 lakhs

[silverado]

The very fact ( if its true ) that TATA is targeting Taxi segment shows that they may have lost hopes of selling it in passenger segment.
This could be a vehicle to test its Electric systems, before they bring out an entirely new product later on.

[smooth indian]

Tata Motors should come up with different name for the Nano based EV. The name 'Nano' should be dumped if they want to sell the personal car version to be attractive. The commercial and personal car versions of this EV should be clearly differentiated through different exteriors and trims, different specifications and different branding. This will ensure that the public doesn't look down upon the EV models.

[Joe-Ker]

Nano is the ideal city car, an electric option would be perfect. And Tata, please do not listen to the 'experts' from team bhp who are doing the costing, pricing for you purely out of altruistic intentions.

[SlowRider]

IMO, Tata targeting the taxi segment makes a lot of sense. Given the range limitations of most EVs, they only make sense as a second car for most private buyers. I think they would find far more business targeting public transportation segment. Also, an electric Nano would compare unfavourably in terms of initial outlay against hatchbacks one or two segments up. That is more likely to put off private buyers, whereas people using the car as a taxi are more likely to be attracted to a better return on investment.

Where I see the electric Nano making most impact is in the intra-city rides segment where trips are short (~10-12 km). In that segment, the range of the car won't be a limiting factor. Nano should cost less to run per km, especially in congested metros where petrol/diesel vehicles waste a lot of fuel in slow traffic. That the car doesn't pollute would be a huge incentive. If operated similarly to autorikshaws where the vehicles wait at a "stand" near a public-transportation node, they could set up charging stations at those stands and top up the power while waiting for a fare. Operating and maintenance costs for an EV should be comparatively lower than a vehicle with an internal-combustion engine. The batteries are expensive to replace, but if Tata can do what Toyota does for Prius and offer a high-mileage warranty on the batteries, the car will appeal to a wide audience.

[volkman10]

PM to unveil 400 Nano Electrics for Ola in Delhi.

On 28th November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the Tata Nano Electric for Ola Cabs. These will be used by Ola Cabs as its NCR/New Delhi fleet.

There will be 400 Tata Nano Electric cabs in use by Ola in the initial stages. Ola has already been promoting Ola Share to reduce the pollution levels in the national capital. With this, it will be a big initiative from the company. The new Nano Electric should have a range of close to 150 kilometres and these will be all white in colour. These vehicles will have similar technology like the Tigor electric. The batteries will be located under the seat too.

link

[RavenAvi]

The Nano EV will be christened as the "Jayem Neo" when it is unveiled.

Contrary to previous reports Tata Motors will not launch an electric version of their Nano hatchback but will instead supply complete Nano body shells without the engine and transmission to Coimbatore based Jayem Automotives who will manufacture and market the EV.

Jayem will source the electric powertrain from Electra EV, a specialist firm in the business of design, development and supply of electric powertrains, battery packs as well as charging infrastructure.

The Neo will be powered by a 48 Volt system and 17kW (23hp) which is a modest output for a car weighing around 800kg (the conventional 623cc petrol Nano weighs 636kg). Sources claim an ARAI cycle range of 200km on a full charge, which drops to around 140km with four persons and air-conditioning.

The Neo will be a Jayem branded car carrying no Tata badge, however the sides will bear a ‘powered by Electra EV’ moniker.

ACI

[ksameer1234]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

The Nano EV will be christened as the "Jayem Neo" when it is unveiled.

This is sad. To see the most talked about car from India being obscured in this manner is disheartening. Electra EV powertrain is probably also the one which will power Tigor EV. Why would Tata not release the car under their brand? Rather than this, Nano should have been shelved citing poor sales, than milking whatever remains of the icon by selling the body shells to be used by others. Not really accurate but you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

[Nissan1180]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

The Nano EV will be christened as the "Jayem Neo" when it is unveiled.

If what is written is true, it could possibly be the last attempt at keeping the brand alive. 500 is not a small number for a car that sells less than 200 units every month these days. I really, really hope it succeeds. 140 km range is very decent and it can do short highway commutes as well. As far as I remember, the E2O manages less than 80 km. If priced between Rs 4-5 lakh, this car can become the best city taxi. Hopefully the gods would be more grateful to the Nano this time.

[VW2010]

I wish they give existing Nano owners an option to exchange and get a good price. They anyway get the body and shell in which they can fit the E engine.

I would exchange mine for the electric if they give an option.

[The Rationalist]

I tried to find more about Electra EV. This is what I found
http://electraev.com
Not a very convincing group if this is their website.