Tata claims electric car range limited due to costs

Earlier this week, it was reported that government officials have refused to use electric vehicles supplied by Tata Motors and Mahindra citing their limited range. Tata Motors, which had supplied the Tigor EV to the government, has now released a statement saying that the cars were built according to the specifications provided by EESL. The specifications were arrived at after studying the daily requirements of the users and the price of the vehicle.

Tata Motors claims that 74% of car buyers today are still conscious about the price of the vehicle. Most have a budget between Rs. 4 lakh and Rs. 8 lakh. According to their research, the average running for personal use is 50 to 60 km per car. Keeping these factors in mind, the company decided to limit the range of the cars to 130 km, which is achievable after an overnight charge.

To increase the range of the car, a bigger battery would need to  be used. The bigger battery would result in an increase in the price of the vehicle. Tata claims that for an electric car with a range of 250 km, the battery would cost more than Rs. 7 lakh. This would make the car inaccessible to regular customers. A fast charging network would also help reduce range anxiety.

The Tigor EV was built according to the EESL tender. The company plans to introduce electric cars with better performance and longer range in the coming years. However, these cars are expected to be more expensive.