Tata Motors is currently not offering the Tigor EV for sales to private car buyers. The brand is still testing waters in the electric car segment and has fleet operators and government officials use this electric compact-sedan in India. Now, reports suggest that Tata is working on a more longer driving range version of the Tigor EV for private car buyers in our market.
The Tata Tigor EV currently comes with a 16.2 kWh battery which allows for a maximum driving range of 142 km on a full charge. The car being developed for the private segment is rumoured to have more than 200 km of range on a single charge, but will be more expensive for sure. The current Tigor EV has a 72V, 3-phase AC induction motor which belts out 40 BHP of peak power and 105 Nm of peak toqrue matched to a single-speed automatic gearbox.
Tata claims that the current Tigor EV takes 6 hours to get a 80-% charge from a normal charger and can be charged 80% in 90 minutes with a 15 kW DC fast charger. But this is with the lower-spec battery pack. Since the private market Tigor EV will be more capable, it will also need a longer charging time easily.
The Tata Tigor EV gets ‘EV’ branding on the front grille, front doors and on the tail gate. There is no major change in the body work of the Tigor EV, and it weighs 1516 kg (GVW). The car runs on alloy wheels, spoiler element on the rear windscreen, dual-barrel headlamp design, LED tail lamps, sharkfin antenna, fabric seats, climate control, etc.
The Tigor EV is a 5-seater compact-sedan and rivals the likes of Mahindra eVerito in India.
While the future is electric, EVs are not really reasonable as a primary car option in India. Our car market lacks awareness and even the infrastructure to support electric cars. With limited driving range and the need to stop minimum for an hour to get the batteries charged, EVs are also questionable about being able to deliver in times of emergency.