Zero-emission vehicles are the need of the house – both keeping the environment as well as increasing fuel costs in mind. Among the different vehicles that are available in the market – BEV or battery-operated electric vehicles are the most sought after because of their practical benefits as well as the cost-effectiveness.
Not only are Electric cars smart and modern, but they also offer a plethora of reasons to switch from fossil fuel-powered vehicles. In the recent past, the Indian EV market has grown exponentially thanks to the ever-growing ecosystem, favourable government policies, and subsidies to the end consumers as well as the manufacturers.
This is why we have brands like Tata leading the EV race and are looking to extend it further by adding more vehicles to their repertoire. Other automakers like Hyundai, MG Motors etc. are also adding variety to their offerings. Pretty soon we will also have brands like Mahindra, Renault etc. introducing their electric cars in India.
That said, in order to drive the adoption of green vehicles, we still need more variety in terms of designs, models offering a higher range and cars that are budget-friendly. Hence we’ve curated this list of upcoming electric cars to watch out for.
Tata Altroz EV
Tata Motors has been leading the electric cars segment in India. The Tata Nexon EV has been a highly successful car and it already has got a new version offering better range and overall improvements. The company is looking to give the Tata Altroz a similar treatment and the Altroz EV will be based on the regular Altroz that can be seen on the road. We can expect minor tweaks though.
The Altroz EV might come with a 30.6 kWh Li-ion battery and could be built on the ALFA-arc platform – Tata’s custom platform built specifically for EVs. The car is expected to deliver a driving range of 300 km on a single charge
The motor powering this car could be a 3-Phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor and the car could be priced slightly cheaper than the Nexon at Rs. 12-15 lakhs once launched.
Renault K-ZE EV
The Renault Kwid is a familiar name on Indian roads. This compact car has been doing really well in its segment and is probably the reason why Renault wants to bring a compact electronic car to India.
The K-ZE EV is already being sold in China and was recently introduced in the international markets as Kwid E-Tech. In 2020, Renault announced its plans to bring this car to India in the “next two years.” Hence, we can expect the K-ZE EV to launch in India soon.
The global variant of the Renault K-ZE EV comes with a 26.8kWh battery pack, a power of 44hp and 125 Nm. According to the carmaker, the European variant of the car is said to offer a range of 295 km while the Chinese variant delivers 271 km on a single charge – which could be more than ideal for a city electric car. The fact that the car has a relatively smaller battery pack, it is expected to charge up rather quickly as well.
Hyundai Ioniq 5
The Ioniq 5 is one of the premium electric cars from the South Korean car maker. The car is already doing decently in the international markets.
The new electric SUC is expected to launch in India in the second half of 2022 and will be brought to India as a completely built unit – which unfortunately will bump up the retail price in the country.
The Ioniq 5 is built on Hyundai’s Electric Global Modular Architecture (E-GMP) platform. Internationally, the car comes with two battery packs: 58kWh & 72.6kWh. This literally translates to a range of 385km and 481km respectively.
The car comes in All-Wheel Drive and Rear Wheel drive options, and it needs to be seen as to which one does the company introduce in India.
Tata Punch EV
The Tata Punch EV is probably the most hyped and the most awaited electric car in India. Hyped because it’s going to be a compact city car and hyped because it might not be as costly as the other EVs currently selling in the market.
It is rumoured that the car might use the Ziptron EV powertrain technology which we have already seen on the Nexon EV. This compact SUV might come equipped with a 30.2kWh lithium-ion battery pack powering and a 129bhp electric motor.
In terms of range, rumours suggest that the Punch EV, might come equipped with an updated electric powertrain and might end up offering a range of over 300km – through the real-world range might vary and we might need to wait till the car makes its way out in the market.
The Tata Punch EV is expected to launch around October this year and if priced aggressively, it can be one of the most affordable electric cars in India.
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