Haima Automobile and Bird group showcase their first Electric car in India at the Auto Expo 2020. Haima is a Chinese brand, subsidiary of the state-owned FAW group and now in technical collaboration with the Bird Electric of the USA plans to sell electric vehicles in India. Haima-Bird plans to install a production facility in Manesar, Haryana and are likely to manufacture the Bird Electric EV1 in India with an expected timeline of 12 to 15 month before the first vehicle rolls-out.
The Bird Electric EV1 was showcased at the Auto Expo 2020 and on the outside, it features a closed grille, projector headlamps, LED daytime running lights, large air dam, bumper-mounted fog lamps, roof rails, alloy wheels, black appliqué on the C-pillar, wraparound combination tail lamps, turn indicator integrated Outside Rear View Mirrors (ORVMs) etc.
On its interior, the Bird Electric EV1 features fully digital colour instrument console, large touchscreen infotainment system, steering mounted controls, push-button climate control, leather and fabric combination seats etc. One interesting feature on the Bird Electric EV1 is the drive selector, which is a backlit push-button type and sits on the central tunnel between the driver and the front passenger. Just behind the drive selector is a rotary type media control switch.
The powertrain on the Bird Electric EV1 is a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) which comes in two battery options a 20.42kWh Ternary Lithium Battery which returns a claimed range of 202 km on a single charge and a larger 28.5 kWh Ternary Lithium Battery which gives a claimed range of 301 km on a single charge. The Bird Electric EV1 claims to have a power consumption as low as INR 60 per 100 km. The motor with the smaller 20.42kWh battery generates 95 Nm of torque and the larger 28.5 kWh variant makes 105 Nm of torque. The Bird Electric EV1 can do a top speed limited to 120 kmph. Normal charging takes 9 hours for the 20.42kWh and 11 hours for the 28.5 kWh variant. Details on the fast charging options are not available yet.
The Bird Electric EV1 is expected to be priced around the INR 10 lakh mark.