India's Bezza-sized EV, Tata Tigor. Priced equal to RM 67k, 306 km range
Arvind · Sep 9, 2021 11:03 AM
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Indian manufacturer Tata Motors recently introduced the Tata Tigor EV, a Perodua Bezza-sized small Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) sedan with a budget-friendly price starting at INR 11.99 Lakhs (~RM 67k).
Powering the Tigor EV is a permanent magnet synchronous motor that delivers 75 PS and a peak torque of 170 Nm. It draws power from a 26 kWh battery that is claimed to give the Tigor EV a driving range of up to 306 km (India’s ARAI standards).
The Tigor EV's electric motor outputs 75 PS and 170 Nm of torque
The Tigor EV utilises Tata’s proprietary high voltage EV architecture, Ziptron, which highlights an IP67-rated and AIS-048 standard impact-resistant battery pack that is compatible with globally acceptable CCS2 charging protocols.
The Tigor EV's 26 kWh battery pack
Tata claims the Tigor EV has a DC fast-charging rate of 25kW (CCS2) enabling 80 percent charge in 65 minutes (ARAI standards), as well as slow charging from any 15 A plug point (80 percent in 8.5 hours).
Tata Motors offers a manufacturer-backed 8-year /160,000 KM battery and motor warranty for its EV owners.
In terms of size, the Tata Tigor is comparable to a Perodua Bezza.
The Tigor is also offered with a 86 PS / 113 Nm 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated engine mated to a five-speed manual or five-speed automated manual transmission (AMT) which starts off at INR 5.65 Lakhs (~RM 32k), therefore the Tigor EV is roughly double the price of the entry-level Tigor model.
However, Tata is confident that the Indian market will respond well to the new EV model. According to Mr Shailesh Chandra, President of Tata Motors, “EVs are fast gaining popularity on the back of rising comfort of customers, as the barriers to adoption are being overcome and due to growing preference for environmentally friendly solutions.”
He adds, “This has been spearheaded by our very own Nexon EV, which today is the most popular EV in the Indian market. The increasing support from the central and the state Government, providing subsidies and a conducive environment for EVs to grow, inspires us to expand our EV offerings to our customers.”
In March 2019 – the Indian government approved a USD 1.4 billion electric vehicle incentive scheme, that offers subsidies based on battery capacity which applies to buses, passenger cars and three-wheelers.
According to the new scheme, named “Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME)”, the government will subsidise INR 10,000 for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of battery capacity in the vehicle, estimated to be 50 percent of the battery cost.
To qualify, cars have to be priced at less than INR 1 million (~RM 87.8k). In the case of the Tigor EV, this works out to a subsidy of INR 264k or ~RM 14.8k. Indian automakers Mahindra and Tata Motors currently sell EVs in India, while Maruti Suzuki and Toyota offer hybrid vehicles.
Arvind can't remember a time when he didn't wheel around a HotWheels car. This love evolved into an interest in Tamiya and RC cars and finally the real deal 1:1 scale stuff. Passion finally lead to formal training in Mechanical Engineering. Instead of the bigger picture, he obsesses with the final drive ratio and spring rates of cars and spends the weekends wondering why a Perodua Myvi is so fast.
